The Cryst
by kage Elric
Summary: Adventure, Tragedy, Love and all that goodness mixed up and blended together with our favourite Archadian Prince and the 2 women in his life. But as time progresses, they begin to see that this is more than just a war of the sexes, but of entire nations.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer – Anything you recognize, I don't own...Everything else is MINE!!!!! =P

Chapter 1

"Mi' Lord, you have a guest." Basch Von Ronsenburg, Judge Magistrate and personal guard to Lord Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, forth son of the Late Gramis Gana Solidor, Former King of Archadia, said as he entered Lord Larsa's study.

"Is that so? And who might this guest be pray tell." Larsa Ferrinas Solidor looked up from his work desk at Judge Basch and smiled brightly. Over the past four years or so since Judge Magistrate Basch Von Ronsenburg succeeded his late brother, Judge Magistrate Gabranth, Larsa had learned to look up to and admire him. He could not, however, replace the older brother he once thought he knew and loved.

"She wishes I neither announce her name nor her title to you before you have met. You do not mind?" Judge Basch always spoke so formally with Larsa when it came to formal matters, even when they were alone. Most times Larsa would play along and behave regally, speak eloquently and all that jazz, but today Larsa was in a particularly good mood and found it rather querulous to have to be on his 'P's and 'Q's while only in the presence of a dear friend.

"That's fine I suppose. I take it she is in the entrance hall?" Basch nodded curtly, "Then I shan't keep her waiting." Larsa stood from his chair and walked around the desk, following behind Basch as he lead the way to the door.

As they walked through the corridors of House Solidor Palace, guards, maids, gardeners and shoe-shiners alike all bowed to their presence and unlike most of the high status citizens that sometimes visited his humble abode, Larsa always nodded back and said 'good morning' to every single person he passed by and so did Judge Basch. The people appreciated them both highly for it and thus it made them quite easily the most pleasant pair of people to serve in the palace according to veteran servants in House Solidor Palace.

Basch rejected the servant at the doors to the entrance hall and insisted that he open the doors himself. As he opened the door he looked on into the room in search of Lord Larsa's guest. As he locked eyes with her, he spoke in a clear crisp voice, "The Lord Larsa Ferrinas Solidor has arrived, your Highness." As the doors were wide enough for Larsa to step through, Basch scooted to one side of the room unnoticed, where he could watch silently.

The room fell silent for a moment as Larsa surveyed his guest. He watched as she turned slowly to fully face him, turning away from a vase of flowers she was previously observing; her long, smooth, luscious brunette curls swishing behind her with an elegance and grace that hair alone should not own. A bodice hardly that of a mere sixteen year old, encased in pearl white silk that stopped at her knees, show casing beautifully proportioned and somewhat toned legs, covered in smooth porcelain skin. Her soft jade green eyes large and glossy, gazed at him with such pure emotions, it could've burned a hole through his shirt. He watched as soft, full cherry red lips formed a perfect smile, her soft, gentle features displaying her recognition.

"Hello Larsa," Her voice like smooth, sweet honey spread across blankets of white velvet as she spoke his name. Catherine Rachel Rossaria, Princess of the Rossarian Empire located to the far West of Archadia, is considered the most beautiful girl, if not woman, of all Rossaria and is revered by every male that she has ever met as a woman of such grace and beauty that it rivaled even that of her late mother. It hardly ever came to pass that she met a man not in the slightest bit interested in her.

There is however, always a first, and as well as a last.

"Catherine! How long has it been now?" Larsa's care-free and childish expression betrayed no signs of lust or longing; there were no signs of being interested in Catherine's appearance in the slightest. Larsa seemed completely impervious to Catherine's charming demeanor, even though it had once enticed almost every male in her palace back home in Rossaria, excluding her father of course. Larsa smiled broadly and moved forward, his arms open expectantly.

"It has been long yes, I am uncertain..." Catherine took a step closer to Larsa, and smiled as he embraced her in a gentle, warm hug and said, "I have waited a long time to have the chance to meet you once more..."

Catherine's face flushed as she realized just what she had said and proceeded to bury her face into his chest to hide her embarrassment that went completely unnoticed by the young lad. "It is good to see you as well, after so long. I am not even sure myself how long it has been." he smiled as fond memories of their childhood came back to him, "How about we catch up in my study? If you wouldn't mind I've some papers I'd like to finish up before noon." Larsa let go of her and pushed away slightly, considering she seemed reluctant to come out of his hold, in order to look down at her and observe her response.

Catherine smiled beautifully and said sweetly, "Yes, of course. That would be lovely." Larsa smiled and took her hand, leading her out of the entrance hall, mentally noting that Basch was following close behind, and lead her up to his study where he intended to finish up the last of his paper work for the day while he ascertained Catherine's purpose for being there.

Catherine held unto Larsa's hand with both hands throughout the whole walk towards his study, her face flushed but split in two as she could not find the strength to keep her face straight. Catherine looked up at Larsa's smiling face as she remembered times from their past, when they were together in Nabradia and thought of a question. "Larsa, have you been good like I asked of you? You haven't gone back to your old ways have you?"

Larsa glanced back at her, slightly surprised, then coughed, tripped over air, caught himself and looked back at Catherine with a confused and guilty expression. He scratched the back of his head and looked away. He looked as though he was trying to say something, but Basch beat him to it. "The Lord Larsa has gone beyond his 'Old Ways'. Sneaking out at night, disappearing for days on end every month. I fear what may come next..." Basch was clearly teasing him, but Catherine took it much more seriously than either of them would've expected.

"Larsa!! How could you! You promiced you would be good!!" Catherine pounded her surprisingly soft fist on Larsa's chest as she spoke and looked up at him with the best anger-face she could muster without looking too cute. It came out as quite the opposite, if Larsa wasn't currently being berated for a felony he knew he'd committed, he might've laughed at the irony. "Sneaking out?! Disappearing!? Where have you been going? Where else do you need to be than here in your home?!" Catherine's eyes were the only signs on her face that suggested that she was truly upset as they were narrowed slightly and lost some of their gloss, a flame flickering visibly behind them.

Larsa was at a loss for words and was torn between feelings of panic and thanks when an earsplitting shriek ripped through the air around them. Catherine screamed and held both hands over her ears. She was so focused on trying to block out the sound that she hardly noticed when Larsa took hold of her arm and began walking at a quickened pace, Basch following close behind.

An Alarm was sounding and guards were suddenly forming into little groups all down the corridor, exchanging syllables for a few seconds, then dispersing into different passage ways and halls. It was clear that they were in search of something, and it was clear that they had searched many times before, considering how organized and seemingly repetitive the operation was. Numerous soldiers and guards ran, walked or jogged passed them in all different directions. Catherine looked up at Larsa with tears of fright in her eyes and begged him to let her know what was happening.

"I'll explain as soon as we reach my study." Larsa suddenly seemed very tense, his jaw was set and his expression betrayed something like frustration.

Suddenly a guard dashed out from seemingly nowhere directly beside them and stopped dead in front of Judge Basch. Larsa spun around to listen to what the guard had to say and nearly spun Catherine into wooziness as well.

"Mi' Lord! We found 'im! The Plague! Some'at caught glimpse o' 'im jumping down to the gardens! But, Bloody Hell!!! Bleeding churl's too fast!! We cawn't catch 'im!" the guard was out of breath and completely forgot about his formalities, which Catherine firmly disapproved of and would've suggested he be punished were she in her own country.

"Understood Soldier. Keep looking until you find him." Basch said firmly. He then turned to Larsa and nodded curtly before running off in the opposite direction to which the soldier ran off after his dismissal.

Larsa stood there, thinking for a moment before he turned to Catherine and said brightly, "Come, I will take you to my room until this ordeal is over. It is closer and more safely guarded." unnoticed by Larsa, Catherine's face flushed to a shade of red so deep, that her red lips hardly showed against her newly reddened skin. Catherine would've simply lost herself in her fantasies until they reached his room, but she remembered hearing something peculiar in the conversation between Judge Basch and the boorish soldier.

"Larsa, if I am not mistaken, that ill-mannered man said something along the lines of a Plague to Judge Basch. Of what did he speak?" Larsa glanced at Catherine and sighed. He stopped walking suddenly and turned to a door she hardly noticed. The door was small and made of a dark woody material she couldn't quite put a name to. Larsa opened the door to reveal a large room elaborately designed and made up with the colour blue in mind. The silken sheets were blue, the walls were another shade of blue, the curtains on the closed windows were many different shades of blue going as far as purple and green and forever blue. She loved the room. Possibly simply because it was Larsa's room, but more because her favourite colour was blue.

Catherine was busy admiring Archadian architecture and design when Larsa finally decided to answer her question. "The plague refers to a monthly phenomenon that haunts this castle. Every 23th of every month, a thief plagues these halls. Filching any and everything it can lay its hands on or is able to carry. This...plague has haunted us for little over four years now I believe." Larsa stared up at the ceiling as he spoke. Catherine was shocked. Larsa seemed so distressed by the terrible situation. She wanted to comfort him, make him believe that they would catch that horrible thief sometime soon. Catherine could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, ready to be shed for the sake of her long since childhood friend and love interest.

Catherine had yet begun to speak when a calm, cool voice drifted into the room from the window that was once closed. "Oh Larsa, that's not a very nice thing to say about someone now is it?" Catherine whipped a round to find the owner of the velvet voice and screamed at the sudden appearance of a girl sitting on the windowsill of the mysteriously open window.

She had long red hair tied up into a high pony tail with three elaborate metal clips holding it together at equal intervals, the burning light of the mid morning sun setting her hair aflame as it blew over her shoulder into the room. She was thin and shapely enough with an obviously very well trained body with graceful, elegant features expressing a care-free, mellow state of mind, and bright eyes, despite being soft grey with a light purple hue. This girl was simply stunning.

Catherine clutched her chest as she tried desperately to get her breathing rate back in order, the sudden appearance of this stranger shocking the living day lights out of her. The girl slid down from the window sill with grace and poise fit for a princess, despite her rather ordinary, if not run-down out fit of a simple Rabanastran tank top and worn battle fitted pants. Catherine was so entranced by her sudden appearance that it didn't occur to her that she was the only surprised one.

"Kira, I take it there is a valid reason for this." Catherine glanced back at Larsa and noticed him staring at the girl with hard eyes. He seemed rather peeved.

"But of course. You know I wouldn't just pop in without good reason." The girl said, using one hand to exaggerate her statements and the other to hold her recently materialized star fruit. She smiled wryly at Larsa and took a small bite of her star fruit while Larsa sighed and bent his head down while putting both hands on his hip.

"Why have you come so early? You could've at least given me notice." Larsa looked up at her with a rather annoyed expression, then glanced over at Catherine to find that she was stunned into silence, completely and utterly lost, not understanding the circumstances. He didn't mind, he knew he'd have to explain soon, but first he wanted answers.

"Listen, when I went to the petitioner, after I agreed to take the hunt, he suddenly drops this time limit on my head. Said he'd pay extra if I got him it's tail within a day. So I figured we'd try and work it out. Nothing wrong with a little extra cash, not to mention he said he'd throw in a special item he'd found in the Lhusu Mines couple months ago." Kira said, shrugging her shoulders and taking another bite of her star fruit. Larsa gazed at her incredulously.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face before he said, "Alright, fine. Fair enough. Now what exactly are we up against here, and what's this special item he found in the Lhusu Mines?"

"It's a type of Wyvern I think. It's never been documented, so I'm kinda excited. As for the Special Item, I haven't a clue, he refused to tell me." Kira said before another bite of her star fruit. Kira watched as he nodded to himself, probably expecting that sort of answer , and then turned to look at Catherine. Catherine still seemed unable to comprehend the situation, just barely following the conversation between the two. Kira tilted her head slightly, curious to know just who it was that Larsa had brought into his room. "Larsa, if you don't mind me asking, who 's your friend over there in a daze?" Kira glanced over at Larsa as she scraped the last fleshy pieces off the seed of the fruit before tossing the seed out the window behind her without a care in the world.

Larsa glanced up at Kira, then over at Catherine who was now looking at Larsa her eyes full of bewilderment and what seemed to be annoyance. He turned back to Kira, and said, "Kira, this is Catherine, Catherine," He turned to Catherine with his arm out stretched in Kira's direction, "this is Kira." He paused for a moment which was quickly filled with a piercing silence. He coughed slightly before continuing. "Kira, Catherine is a childhood friend of mine. We've known each other since I was four or five I believe. I was pleasantly surprised when..."Larsa was about to say that he was glad to see her after so long when Kira suddenly announced that she would soon return and disappeared through the open window just as Larsa's bedroom door was suddenly flung open.

Both Larsa and Catherine were startled into a jump as a soldier suddenly barged in and asked crudely if Larsa had seen any sign of the thief. He looked exhausted and rather peeved as he waited impatiently for Larsa's answer. Larsa's expression contorted into one full of surprise as he answered the guard, his voice perfectly portraying confusion and a sense of bewilderment. "No, no I haven't, I'm sorry. I do doubt, however, that he would come to my quarters. That would be a sort of death wish wouldn't you agree?" Larsa smiled slightly as the guard stuttered his response as he recognized his stupidity in asking the young prince such a question when he'd been in his room the whole time. The soldier ducked out of the room just as quickly and closed the door behind him with a quick apology that Larsa quietly acknowledged.

As soon as the door was closed, Kira reappeared at the window and huffed. "Phew, that was a close one eh?" She grinned as she hopped down to the floor from the window sill. Through out all of this, Catherine seemed to have been re-gaining her 'composure' so to speak, even though she looked as though she would explode at any moment. Larsa noticed this and distinctly remembered her lack of patience and sharp temper, wondering if she'd ever gotten any help for it over the years. Guessing that she hadn't, he swiftly made to announce to her that Kira was in fact a friend of his. He however, was completely taken aback when his statement completely flipped her switch.

"FRIENDS!? You're friends with this...this LOW LIFE!!??" Catherine seemed completely outraged. Kira blinked slightly as she suddenly realized that they were talking about her. "You are to be seventeen in only three months, you are to be KING in only three months, and you are friends with this commoner?! How did she even get in here? Why are you concerned about her when there is a thief running a muck in your ..." Catherine paused for a moment and thought over the recent events and her mouth opened wide with shock and she realized the depth of the situation. "She is the thief isn't she?! You're a thief! A thief and a liar! How have you managed to deceive or con my Larsa into being 'friends' with you? What has she done to you Larsa? What...what......" Catherine's eyes were wide with anger and her entire body was rigid. It seemed as though she had more she wished to say but could not find the words for it.

Larsa took this sudden moment of silence to cut in and try to calm her down. "Catherine! That's not fair! At least listen to what I have to say! It's not what you think! Yes Kira is a thief but for good reason!" Larsa glanced over at Kira and found her sitting on the window sill, simply staring out into the mid morning sky, she was completely used to this sort of treatment.

"What good reason could there possibly be for being a thief?!" Catherine said loudly, her voice shrill, completely baffled as to how this 'devil' could've deceived Larsa so far as to make him think that stealing is right.

"Have you ever been to Old Archades?" both Catherine and Larsa turned to look at Kira sharply. She was still looking out the window and had her arms folded as she leaned back on the frame of the open window, one leg swinging loosely outside.

"What...?" Kira's words were sudden and soft against the violence of the argument causing both parties to become temporarily subdued, Catherine hadn't a clue as to what she was talking about.

"Old Archades, is just to the west of Archades. It is a forgotten and abandoned part of the city that no one pays any attention to. A slum where all those that have fallen from grace end up, where children are hungry, were the sick and the elderly suffer from lack of attention and support. A truly hellish place where the streets are dirty, where there is sickness and famine about and no one to care for them. And yet, I love that place more than I could ever even love myself. The people there, the stories they have to tell, the suffering, the hardships, and their amazing ability to coop with their situation and deal with their reality while still striving for something better; who wouldn't want to be a part of that effort?" Kira said, only looking towards the two as she finished her last sentence, a soft caring sheen in her beautiful purple-grey eyes.

Catherine hadn't quite understood what she had said, but the feel of the message got through to her easily. She could tell that there was something deeper, she just couldn't understand it. Larsa, however, understand her perfectly. He'd seen it for himself and felt the exact same way. He turned to Catherine with the intention to clarify for her, knowing full well that she would not understand easily. "That's right. Kira isn't a thief by choice or for pleasure. She steals for those that she loves. We both treat and care for the people of Old Archades, scavenging and hunting for whatever it is they may need that we can provide. It gives us a sense of purpose and an even stronger sense of justice." Larsa said to her as she watched him, his eyes bright with the feeling that what he was doing was right.

"It isn't only Old Archades either. My home town in Rabanastre, Low Town, is also in such a state. Especially since the war. We work together to ensure that the people of Old Archades and of Low Town are treated fairly and can obtain the necessary things for life, like food and water. You'd be surprised how scarce even those resources can be. So that's where we come in." Kira said with a smile.

Catherine was at a loss. She wasn't sure she completely understood what was being said around her and felt slightly guilty about what she had said about Kira. She turned to Larsa for confirmation and frowned when he smiled gently at her and nodded slowly, as though he were trying to get a pre-schooler to understand a simple concept.

Catherine looked back at Kira and found that she was smiling softly at her, her gentle patience drowning Catherine's rage and engulfing her in guilt. She, however, was too stubborn to show it. "But...but why do you have to do it? Why not just put the matter to the acting King? You are prince for crying out loud! Why should you have to get your hands dirty?! That's why we have government and that's why you have the Judges and..."

"What sort of King would I be if I depended solely on my pairs and servants to do my work for me? What sort of King would I be if my people didn't even know my face? This is what a King should do. A king should tend to the needs of his people no matter how hard or how dirty the task. The method is just as important as the results, and this is the method I have chosen. Can't you see? I want to be close to my people. I don't want them to think of their king and immediately see a high thrown surrounded by imperial guards that no one can touch, I want them to see me for who I am, I want them to see me as their brother, their neighbour, son, father, uncle whatever it is, I want my nation to be a family more than anything. A nation separate from its king is..."

"On a fast track to hell." Kira finished for him. Larsa glanced at her and smiled at her choice of words before nodding his agreement.

"You can understand can't you, Catherine?" Larsa asked as he watched her, her expression thoughtful. He waited patiently as she seemed to be in deep thought, simply staring into nothing before she finally shook her head and looked up at Larsa, then to Kira and to Larsa again.

"How...how, may I ask, did you meet...Kira, Larsa? It still baffles me as to how the two of you, from complete opposite ends of the social ladder, could've become friends." Catherine said, seemingly dodging Larsa previous question.

Larsa blinked slightly and then looked over at Kira before he smiled softly and said, "Well...it's a rather funny story now that I think about it." Kira chuckled and shook her head as she listened to him, wondering how he'd be able to put the story to her without damaging her image of him being the perfect prince.

"It all began four years ago, just after the war, after Vayne's death," Larsa's smile fell slightly as he began to re-tell or rather, re-live the events.

I sat alone in my study one night, supposedly working on an array of different documents and papers that needed signing, but instead I was thinking, thinking hard about the war and about my brother Vayne, who I had once admired and appreciated. Now I could only pity him.

I was startled out of my thoughts when a sharp wrap came upon my door. "Yes," I answered softly, surprised that the one the other side of the door could even hear me as the door opened slightly before revealing my newly appointed personal guard and Judge, Judge Basch. "My lord, There seems to be a breach in security on ground level. I've had a few of the palace guards, two soldiers and a judge go down to assess the situation and I would like for you, Young Prince, to head to your bed chambers, I suspect you will be safer there." Judge Basch stood by the open door and waited patiently for me to move. I had no intention of moving just yet, however.

I had gotten tired of all these false alarms and having to have to leave my study and my work so that I may be 'safer', allowing my work to pile up and my deadlines to bare down upon me. I wouldn't have it, not tonight. This imaginary thief may have hypnotized the entire palace, but not I. I, however, was not prepared to argue with Basch tonight, I was tired and wished to save my energy for the work I'd set to be done tonight. I sighed and nodded my head as I stood up slowly from my chair and followed him to the door from which he lead me to my bed chambers and left me to once again lead the search party for the 'thief' that must've broken into the palace.

I sighed once again as I made my way to the far left corner of my room where my ridiculously large walk-in closet began and walked in. I head to the back of the closet, shoved my winter coats to the side and pushed open the wall, or at least, piece of it. I had to bend low to get in through the hole in wall and crawled my way out into the deserted corridor from which I could make my way safely and secretively back to my study to finish my work.

As I headed down the corridor to my study, I caught sight of neither guard nor thief and shook my head once more at how stupid everyone was to not even check if there was anything wrong with the security systems in case there was a malfunction of some sorts. How could it be that on every twenty-third of every month, a thief could make his way in and out of my palace, The House Solidor Palace, for the past six months without being caught or even sighted. Sure one and two unimportant and barely valuable things went missing, but that happened all the time now-a-days. Our servants had become desperate as of late, with Archadia's loss in the war hitting our economy hard prices were sky rocketing and hardly anyone was agreeable with their Acting Head of State.

I sighed once again for the night as I bent down to once again crawl through a small whole in the wall that lead directly into the back of my office. I stood up slowly and ran a hand through my hair before starting towards my desk.

…

I would've reached my desk by now. I would've been working by now. I could've gone through half of my first set of papers by now. But instead, I was staring. Staring at a my imaginary thief.

I stared at her as she stared at me. Blue and purplish grey held each other as our bodies ignored any notion on movement. I was too shocked at the fact that there really was a thief, she must've been too shocked by the fact that she'd actually been caught, after six months of success.

I was the first to recover thankfully. "Who are you?" I at first going to ask what she was doing in my study, but then I figured that would've been rude for the first of many questions I had in store for her.

My words seemed to have snapped her out of a stupor as she shifted back sharply, like a skittish animal, ready to pounce or flee, which ever best fit her circumstances, her medium length flaming red hair swishing behind her, hanging from high atop her head. She continued to stare at me, her wide eyed stare now forming into more of a frightened glare as she continued to observe me, her lips shut tight.

I blinked and decided to try another tactic, realizing that I was lucky she didn't just run. That was when I realized that she was holding something behind her back. I looked over my desk to see if anything was missing and noticed that my fancy silver paper weight had now abandoned it's post and disappeared. It was pure silver with gold leafing in some places and would fetch a pretty penny where my name attached to it as well, I could understand why she'd want it, and I didn't care much for it to begin with anyway.

I looked back at the girl and began to observe her, mentally noting that she wasn't enjoying my sudden silence and hard stare as I observed her tattered Rabanastran clothing and her thin, slightly frail looking but well balanced frame. She must've been one of the war orphans from Low Town, or perhaps Old Archades. He couldn't quite imagine a girl her age, which couldn't have been far from his own, walking all the way from Dalmasca to Archadia, she couldn't possibly have had the strength or resources for such a trip, or , flying, definitely didn't have the money for that, or teleporting, teleporting would mean that she'd been here before, whether by walking or flying, I couldn't see how that was possible. I curious about her, who was she, where was she from, and also...how I could help her.

I looked back at her face to find that I had succeed in thoroughly creeping her out and smiled slightly at the interestingly comical expression of fear and confusion on her face as she waited for an excuse to run, why she hadn't already I honestly couldn't say. "You can have that you know? It's of no worth to me really. And with the right people, you could attain a fair amount for it." I smiled softly at her. She didn't seem to be any danger to me at all. She had no weapon, other wise she'd have pulled it already and she didn't seem to be any closer to move towards me than she was to running away.

She blinked at me with a look of utter shock and spoke for the first time since this began, "Do you really mean it? Do you know where I might get the highest price for it?" She seemed adamant that she get only the best for her work as she forgot to hide the small ornate paper weight and began to examine it as she waited for my answer, far from shame it seemed.

I lifted a brow slightly and took a small step forward, assuming her guard was down, but stopped instantly when she doubled the space between us a look of fright and heavy tension around her as she stared wide eyed at me once more. I paused, allowing the silence to calm her for a moment before I spoke, "Now, shy should I give you that sort of information? Why do you need all that money anyway?" It was a stupid question I knew. For survival, should've been her answer, that's what I was expecting, but when she opened her mouth, I was so far taken aback that I nearly actually stumbled.

"It's not for me, the children are sick, they need medicine and food. I'm they're only hope, I always have been since the start of this stupid war! Please, I can't return to them empty handed! Where can I get the best value!" She was pleading with me while I tried hard to process what she was saying. She was stealing, stealing from the House of Solidor, risking her life for a small fee that would only pass through her hands in the end.

It was at that moment that I knew I had to help this girl. This girl could go where I could not, she could do what I could not, she could help those that I could not reach in these times of strife. Right then and there I decided that I would do anything to help her cause.

I first asked her where she was from and where the children she spoke of lived. When she told me Rabanastre, Low Town, I nearly doubled over. This girl was truly amazing. "How...how old are you?" I asked after recovering from the realization that she'd travelled all the way from Dalmasca to Rabanastre for the stake of the children in Low Town, most of which I would bet were not even distantly related to her by blood.

"Twelve...i think." She seemed taken aback by the question, not entirely sure what that had to do with the situation at hand.

I nodded to myself slightly. She is roughly the same age as I, although I am due to turn thirteen in only a matter of months. I asked another seemingly mundane question. "What is your name?"

"..." She seemed hesitant, "Kira." She said finally, her face flushed slightly. It appeared to me that not many seemed so interested in her as to ask her her name.

"Kira...what?" I wondered as I waited for her clan name but heard nothing.

She looked up at me questioningly before saying, "Just Kira." As if to say she didn't know what I was asking for.

I looked at her with a quirked brow and said, "Doesn't your clan or family have a name? A crest or insignia?"

"Crest? Insignia?" It was worse than I thought. Apparently not only does she not have a family anymore, but doesn't seem to know much, if anything, about them. I sighed and waved her question down and moving on to the more important things at hand.

"The best way to get for it's best value would be to sell in town to the Gambits store keeper. He fancies collecting these items and with a bit of bartering he'll surely pay you a handsome price for it. But if you do sell it in town, then it best you not mention its origin and attempt to conceal the House Solidor Crest on the bottom there. That would definitely cause you more trouble than it's worth. " I said as I pointed out the small House Solidor crest etched into underside of the fancy paper weight.

She had been nodding through out the entire explanation and smiled up at me for the first time as I finished. She bowed her head to me with surprising grace and whispered the first genuine thank you I'd heard in a long time before turning to leave it seemed, even though she was heading towards the window behind my desk.

I watched her as she made her way to the window, announcing that she was very welcome before she'd turned around to face me once more and said, "May I know your name?" I was slightly surprised, but then as I thought of her possible back ground and how she'd been living 'til now, it made sense that she would not know me from sight, but surely she'd recognize my name.

"I am Larsa Ferrinas Solidor." I smiled at her, expecting to see recognition in her eyes, but once again, completely taken aback when she replied.

"I'm glad I met you today, Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, and I thank you very much for my fellow orphans in Low Town. We all appreciate it." She smiled brilliantly at me and made her way out of the window, her actions startling me. I ran to the window to and looked down for any sign of a rapidly falling body but only found the streets of Archades far below me. I glanced around, looking fervently for her and watched in a amazement as a window just below me to my left flew open and all I could make out was gleaming red hair fly out and then into another below it, effectively dodging the guards and staying well out of sight as she made her escape.

I sighed and leaned back away from the window and smiled. I felt accomplished and fulfilled before I even realized that I couldn't wait until the twenty-third of the next month.

By the tenth of the next month I was dieing to see her again. My boring post war activities and new protective life style had driven me to the edge of my sanity, the only thing keeping my there was the hope that I'd be able to help Kira once more on the twenty-third if she were to return.

Even though I had vowed not to tell anyone about Kira, Judge Basch was still able to notice something slightly off with me. Every since I met Kira, I was very happy at first, then I later became miserable and impatient.

That morning I had become very upset considering that the acting Head of State was, in my opinion, being a prick and was allowing his head to swell already with power and had dumped all the paper for the past week on me announcing that he had to prepare for his meeting with the public later that day. A meeting with the public is what he calls it at least. It's really just him standing in from of a bunch of old, redundant bureaucrats that will only aid in swelling his head further and really has nothing to do with the general public.

I was very, very annoyed with everyone that morning, I didn't mean to of course, but thankfully the entire palace seemed to understand the sort of pressure I was under, but that was still no excuse and did not stop me from apologizing to everyone whenever I saw them.

It wasn't until I had gone to eat lunch and come back that my saving grace had appeared. When I had returned to my study, there was a small parcel sitting on my desk. It had no note on it and was wrapped in cheap brown paper. I picked it up and weighed it in my hand. It was just barely bigger than my hand, was rectangular in shape and seemed rather heavy for its size. I sat down and looked around my study silently, wondering if the giver of the gift would show themselves suddenly and say something along the lines of "Happy Miserable Day!!" The servants had been teasing me all morning, attempting to lighten my mood.

When I found no one, however, I proceeded to opened the parcel. When I had managed to remove every piece of brown paper from the item, I was pleasantly surprised as a rectangular piece of crystal shown brightly in the midday sun light, an array of rainbow colours displaying themselves throughout the crystal where ever the light hit it. I smiled brightly as I turned over the rectangular piece of crystal in my hands, observing it as light was reflected off its surface which was not cut smoothly but as seemed as though it had been just broken off a rock face, yet still managing a calming smoothness. The crystal itself had a light blue hue to it and had many lines and edges inside off which light would reflect. As beautiful as the crystal was, it was obviously cheap. Now-a-days, crystal were hardly ever found as just plain pieces of crystal, they were almost always decorated ornately with precious metals or rhyme stones and almost always had a purpose such as magicks, or lighting. This crystal however, was rather plain and seemingly had no purpose.

I smiled however as I realized that it was in fact a paper weight, or could at least be used as one. I knew who it was from, and I couldn't have been happier to have received it. No diamond tipped saber made of a platinum gold alloy could've made me happier than this cheap crystal paper weight.

By the time the Twenty-third came around, I was ready and waiting for her in my study, of course I wasn't exactly sure that she would return to it, but I had to take a chance. I sat at my desk with a vase resting on it in front of me. A rather pricey vase that I had found in one of the rooms around the palace that no one ever used and decided that it wouldn't be missed too much. I would give this to Kira and tell her where she could sell it for the best price. I had already removed the House Solidor crest.

I didn't have to wait long before she appeared at my window. She smiled at me as she stooped on my windowsill. I smiled and pointed to the vase. "This should come in handy. No one will miss it and you should fetch a pretty penny if you sold it the Gun Smith in the low plaza. He has a secret fetish for vases." I smiled at the fond memory of sneaking into his storage rooms in my younger days to find a vast collection of ornately designed, old and very highly valued vases from all over Ivalice.

Kira smiled widely and asked if she may enter. I allowed her in and she gracefully stepped into the room, her boot clad feet making less noise than a mouse a mile away. She walked over the vase and examined it carefully. It was just small enough fro her to carry easily, but seemed delicate. She seemed to be in deep thought before she turned to me and asked, "Why are you helping me?"

I smiled and turned to her before saying, "Why did you return to my study?" She smiled.

"Touché touché." She picked up the vase and turned it over in her small hands before turning to him once more, "So...how much do you think I could get for this?" she relaxed, cocking her hip to the side in a loose standing displaying that she had finally accepted his presence as something other than a possible threat.

I looked at her, or passed her rather as I thought on it,its age, the design, its origin, the materials used in its making, "At least 20,000gil; at best, 100,000gil."

Kira smiled widely, "I'll bet I could get it for as much as 110,000gil." She stuffed the small vase into a small, nearly unnoticeable backpack she had on and turned back to me with a small smile. She seemed as though she had something to say, but could not find the words for it, or rather, she didn't seem to want to find words for it.

I decided to change the subject as she began to fidget. "So, am I to take it that you are the Saint that sent me this wonderful gift?" I asked jokingly holding up my now well used crystal paper weight.

Her skin visibly reddened in the moon light as she turned away from me, her hands wringing behind her back. "The kids picked it out. Only had 10gil to spare. Sorry..." her head was hung low and her hands feverishly twisting and wringing still behind her back.

I chuckled and smiled genuinely at her, "No need to worry, no matter what its value, it has become quite useful, its been rather windy as of late." She chuckled and my smiled widened. I held a strange fascination with this girl. I wanted to know more about her, I wanted to get to know her, to see what she was like on bad days, on good days and on crazy days when everyone wanted to just scream. I wanted to know more about her cause and her purpose, why she wanted so badly to help those that may not have even been as worse off as she might've been herself. I wanted to know, but my thoughts were cut short by a sharp wrap on my study's door.

I'd almost completely forgotten that Basch would undoubtedly come to check on me and take me to my bed-chambers due to Kira's brake in. I had glanced at the door, startled by the sudden interruption and would've instructed Kira to leave at that very moment had she been there when I turned back to face her.

I blinked slightly at her sudden disappearance and started again at the second sharp wrap on my door. I shook my head slightly and turned to face the door once again, "Come." I picked up my pen and looked up at the door to give the illusion that I had been working the whole time.

"Lord Larsa," It was Basch, of course. I nodded and followed him out to my bed chambers where a long awaited good night's sleep lay in wait for me.

After that, Kira and I met every twenty-third of every month in different areas around, inside and outside the castle and sometimes in town even. It lasted another six months before she became known as the 'Plague' among the servants and guards of the palace, and another eight months before she told me she was also a Mark Hunter. Upon hearing this, I immediately begged her to let me join her as a Mark Hunter. She refused instantly. However, two months into the persuasion and she'd given in. We became a team.

During the near two years we spent together, we had become very close, especially after we became a mark hunting team. I still haven't the faintest idea how Judge Basch figured everything out about Kira and I, but I was glad he had, fore he was the one who covered for me whenever I disappeared on the twenty-third of every month for a few days or so before returning. I was truly very grateful to him for not only covering my tracks, but also for being so understanding. Not only did he cover for me every time, but he came along sometimes as well and he also became fond of Kira and they became friends as well.

This pattern went on for the next two or so years during which time we extended our services to those in Old Archades that were in desperate need for attention, and Kira and I, going by the name, Lamont, became very well known throughout most of Rabanastre and in Old Archades. We had also made sure to stay clear of Archades in the event that someone might recognize their Prince.

"And that's where we are today. It's not that bad a job really." Larsa smiled at Catherine as she stared up at him from her position on his bed where she had moved to sit half way through the story.

Catherine blinked slightly and then looked down, away from Larsa suddenly and said, "You two must be very close then huh? It's not fair, I never got to spend anytime together with you like that! Well...not recently at least." Catherine pouted and leaned forward slightly, her head hung low to hide her face.

"Oh Catherine, we'll be able to spend time together soon." Larsa said with a smile, completely oblivious to the effect he was having on Catherine as she flushed slightly at his smile. "I can't imagine you've travelled all the way to Archadia to visit for just the day."

He was right, she did plan on staying in House Solidor Palace right up until Larsa's birthday and Coronation. Once he turned seventeen, Larsa would take the thrown and rule his kingdom at last. Catherine smiled at the thought and answered, "But of course. I had planned to stay here until your seventeenth birthday and your Coronation."

Larsa smiled brightly at Catherine, genuinely happy that she'd remembered his birthday and was about to respond when Kira beat him to it, "Ok, no that we've got the story telling out of the way, may we leave now, my Liege." she said stressing his title.

Larsa glared at her sighed before he said, "I'm sorry Kira, but I cannot leave right now, I have a guest whom I must entertain for the first day at least..."

"Oh come on, we'll just take Princess Peach with us! Come on Larsa, I know you want that special item, and Old Dalan's got it real bad this week. I know it's selfish but...well really need this bonus." Kira's speech had lost some of its spunk as she went on, now pleading with Larsa. She hated to tear him from his kingly matters, but this was a once in a life time chance for her.

Larsa looked at Kira with an exasperated look and then to Catherine as her eyes pleaded with him, then back to Kira before he said, "How bad is he? Old Dalan..." Old Dalan had been getting up there in age lately and wasn't doing so well in the health department and was in constant need of expensive medication and the doctor wasn't cheap either. There was a magic that Kira was aiming to buy so that she could heal him, but it was only found in Balfonheim of all places and was worth a small fortune.

"He's gotten really bad. Started coughing up blood yesterday and I was so tempting to pop in an entire day early but I know we've gotta hold our cover so I held out as long as I could. Stocks are running low too, been spending all our gil on Old Dalan lately, didn't even realize we've run out of rice, potatoes and flour." Kira said as she folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the window sill.

Larsa cringed slightly as he thought of their situation. It was bad, they really could use a bonus. "How much is the bonus?" He asked as he too folded his arms.

Kira smirked for a split second before replying, "5,000gil on top of 8,000 if we can finish it off in one day, plus that special item. Judging by how excited he was about the item its either really valuable and could be sold for a small fortune, or could be something real useful in battle or some sort of rare potion, but if that was the case, then he probably would've kept it for himself." Larsa nodded as she spoke, deep in his thoughts.

Catherine stared between the two of them, completely lost for words, not having a clue about what they were saying. She wanted to know, she wanted to be a part of whatever Larsa was a part of, but she didn't have the courage to ask just yet, things seemed to have been getting serious.

"What worries me though, is that, this guy is offering so much for this hunt, with the bonus and everything, and yet, it's only a Rank III mark. That's got me really worried, but I suppose we can only see for ourselves right?" Kira said as she leaned away from the wall and unfolded her arms, a sign that she was ready to go.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing..." Larsa looked up at her and unfolded his arms as well. "SO, what do we do now? We need that bonus, no doubt about it, and that special item might come in handy somewhere along the lines, but..." Larsa looked over at Catherine and sighed.

Kira looked over at her as well and sighed heavily, "Why not just take her with us? She can stay with Old Dalan while we fight. He'll take good care of her, tell her some of Rossaria's true history and not that crap they teach in their schools you know?" Kira said, exaggerating her points with hand gestures and movements as she always did. "She'll have a ball with him and we can get that bonus. Old Dalan's really got me worried here."

"No ...it's far too..."

"I'll go...." as soft as her voice was, it penetrated through to them both rather sharply. "I'll do it. I'll be just fine once I'm with you, Larsa." Catherine said as she stepped closer to him and held his hand in hers.

"Catherine, you don't have to do this, it's far too dangerous. You've never even been to Dalmasca before!" Larsa said trying to convince her before her mind was set.

"NO! I want to go! I want to be with you and share your interests and...and...I am going whether you approve or not!!" Too late. She'd set her mind to it. Once she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her; one of her better traits.

Larsa blinked, slightly surprised by the strength of her response and was clearly defeated when Kira pitched in next. "That's right! Girl wants to be with her Prince! Who're you to stop her ah?!" She was teasing them, but was also still very serious. Larsa flushed slightly and was about to protest when she cut in once again. "Well, now that that's settled, I think I should be going now. I've long since over stayed my welcome here I believe. I must make my absence known, other wise your soldiers will be hunting night and day for the mare reflection of a shadow." Kira smiled brightly before hopping unto the windowsill and said, "Old Archades stares, ten minutes." before falling clean out the window and out of sight.

Larsa stared through the window and sighed heavily once more before turning to Catherine. She was looking at him hopefully, probably dieing to know if he really approved of her going or not, completely ignoring the fact that Kira had just fallen out of a window on the forth floor of House Solidor Palace. Larsa looked back at her and smiled at her expression before saying, "Well...I suppose we'd best be off then. Fancy a tour of Archades?"

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – If you recognize it, I don't own it...if you don't its MINE!!! =P

Chapter 2

Catherine's face lit up as Larsa proceeded to escort her out of his room and into the hall way where there were two guards standing guard at his door. They both jumped at their sudden appearance behind them and saluted Larsa sharply before saying, "Good Afternoon Mi Lord! I'm afraid we can't allow you to leave your bed-chambers just yet mi Lord, that thief still running a muck, direct orders from Judge Magister Basch." His voice was shaking and he sounded doubtful.

Larsa smiled at him and said, "Oh, but the alarms have stopped." Larsa looked genuinely puzzled as if he were blissfully ignorant. "Besides, I refuse to allow this figment of imaginations to keep me from entertaining my guest. Inform Judge Magister Basch that I shall be escorting Her Highness around Archades and that I shall return. Thank you." Larsa smiled and walked passed the guards into the hall way, Catherine tagging along behind silently, her face slightly flushed.

Catherine looked up at Larsa as they walked side by side through the halls of the palace. "Are we really going into Archades?" surprisingly enough, things seemed to have been going the way she'd hoped they would to begin with; she had long since wanted to tour Archades with Larsa by her side.

"Yes of course." Larsa smiled down at her and took her hand, "Though I must say, Basch may not be all together happy about our leaving without his permission, so I think best we hurry." He grinned at her and quickened his pace, dragging her along behind him.

Catherine furrowed her brow and tried to pull her hand out of Larsa's to no avail while saying, "No Larsa! We can't do that! You must be obedient!"

Larsa grinned ever more brightly as he stepped through the open front doors of the palace and straight to the air lift. "Too late." He smiled wryly at Catherine before he showed the cab-man His House Solidor Crest and stood beside the open cab door, "Just look, isn't it beautiful?" he said while gesturing to his surroundings.

Catherine was too busy fuming before she could've taken into account that she was currently in the very heart of Archades. She blinked at first before she looked around and gasped as she gaped at the sheer beauty of Archadian architecture and technology as she watched air ships of all sizes zoom over head, as she observed the ornately decorated signs and billboards with advertisements of products she once thought were only found in Rossaria; she wanted to see more, she wanted to truly explore Archades to see all the beauty it had to offer, and also, to spend as much time with Larsa as possible. Catherine had completely forgotten that what she was doing was in fact, 'wrong' by the time she slid gracefully into the cab after which Larsa hopped in beside her and advised the driver that they were headed off to the west upper plaza.

As they got out of the cab, Larsa generously offering his hand as Catherine gracefully stepped out of the cab, graciously taking his offered hand. As they began to walk away from the cab into the plaza were few citizens strutted about as aristocrats do, Larsa made to release her hand, but Catherine refused to let go of his and shied away from his look as her face flush slightly. Larsa chuckled and gave in to her wishes, simply believing she felt insecure in the unfamiliar crowd. Ever the ignorant one Larsa was in these matters.

As they walked along, passing beautiful shops and fantastic displays Catherine grew more and more fond of Archades by the minute, constant commenting on its beauty and brilliance. Catherine paid attention also to the clothing that the people wore, she was very impressed and begged Larsa to allow her to stop by on of the clothes stores to have a look.

"Oh, Larsa please! I only want a look, Archadian design is simply fascinating!" Catherine was simply ecstatic as she turned to face Larsa, the store just behind her, the sales woman already waiting to greet them.

Larsa smiled slightly before he said, "You may browse if you wish, but bare in mind, I've only so much gil on me, most of which I intend to spend on supplies for our journey." He had folded his arms and was looking seriously at Catherine. He knew couldn't afford whatever she would want, not now at least, he hadn't left the castle with any extra money, It would be unwise to travel with more luggage than was needed. Going shopping for Catherine was not an option at the moment.

Catherine pouted and said, "What do you mean you haven't so much gil? You're prince for goodness sake! How can you leave your castle empty handed?" Catherine simply couldn't understand his methods.

"I only carry enough gil for what it is that I...we will need during our journey, such as food and water, potions, new armour if need be, that sort of thing. It would be unwise to travel with any extra luggage, please understand Catherine." Larsa said as he put a gentle hand on her shoulder in an apologetic gesture.

Catherine pouted even harder, her face the perfect mixture of supreme cuteness and vexation. "Fine then, but I'm still going to look. I'll ask the store keeper to hold the items for me and we'll be able to get the later, yes?" She was sudden hopeful as the idea sprung into her mind.

Larsa blinked slightly at her quick thinking and smiled, "That would be fine. I promise to treat you on our way back." Catherine smiled brilliantly at him and whispered a small cheer as they made their way inside the store, Catherine's lips curled up into a wide smile as she held Larsa's hand all the time.

By the time Larsa had shown Catherine around to most of the shops in Archades, and had introduced her to every person that insisted they were good friends with their Prince, Catherine felt like she had fallen in love with him all over again, as though she had fall fallen in love with this new Larsa. This new Larsa was strong and mature, albeit still childish in many ways, he had still managed to become the prince she was hoping he would be, despite his frequent night time prowling. They spent their time together speaking of politics and of the economy and where it was headed and from that she knew, she just knew that he would grow to become a great leader, and she would be there, by his side to guide and attend to his needs whenever necessary. She giggled at the notion.

They entered the items store just as Larsa had finished explaining to her the importance of the different Wood Chops in Archadian society and how he hopes to be able to change that system once he became king. Catherine didn't fully understand why he would want to change such a seemingly efficient Status Quo system, but figured that he was to be King in two months and must know what his would be. So instead she asked him if he was planning to buy their supplies for the journey now, since they were in the items store. She was slightly confused when he said no.

"We shan't be stocking up here. The stores up here are far too expensive, its theft. Another change that must be made when I am King. It would seem that my plate is rather full wouldn't it?" Larsa smiled brightly at Catherine before conversing politely with some aristocrat that had suddenly claimed to know his great grand uncle Alan the Great, whoever that was.

When they exited the items store, Catherine turned to Larsa and asked, "My, Larsa, you've many acquaintances that seem to know a lot of your late family members, many of them seemed rather young to have known your great grand parents though..." Catherine said as she tapped her index to her chin in deep thought.

"They're all liars." Larsa's tone shock Catherine to say the least. He was only just conversing ever so politely with that young gentleman in the shop with his usual sweet, velvet voice, and yet now he suddenly sounded upset, his tone course and angry. Catherine blinked twice, her mouth agape as she could not find words to reply with at the moment. "I can't stand them. I hate walking the streets of Archades for this reason alone..." Larsa was obviously upset and Catherine had no idea why.

"...Larsa..." Larsa turned to Catherine and smiled softly at seeing her slightly frightened expression.

"I'm sorry, forget what I've said just now, come, it's not far." Larsa's smile brightened somewhat as he took her hand and lead here north into an unoccupied section of the plaza where the amount of people around could've been counted on one hand.

Catherine looked around suspiciously before she turned to Larsa and asked, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Larsa said without looking back at her as he continued northward until they reached the mouth of a short tunnel that lead down to a flight of stares, at the end of which Catherine could just barely make out a figure.

As they began to descend the stairs, Larsa's smiled widened while Catherine's faded away. Catherine had been silly enough to truly believe that Larsa was giving her his full attention and his all his time, she had somehow forgotten that Kira had exited any at all and believed that it would be just Larsa and herself aloe on this little trip. She had completely forgotten it's purpose and replaced it with one that suited her best.

"You sure took your sweet time." Kira grinned as Larsa and Catherine came within ear shot. Larsa grinned at her while Catherine turned away, trying to hide the overwhelming sadness that she was sure would show in her features as she felt her eyes begin to water slowly.

"You know full well I had to spend time with Catherine, and you had to get Old Jacob his medicine, in fact, I'll bet you only arrived just now." Larsa smirked as Kira shrugged her shoulders and shook her head with a slight chuckle.

"As sharp as ever eh? Anyway, I was gonna beg you to take Old Jacob's medicine to him for me, you know he prefers you over me, won't let any girls into his house for some reason. Poor old man, driven insane by the very society that brought him up. Truly a shame that one." Kira shook her head as she took a vile of green liquid out of her back pocket and tossed it to Larsa who caught it systematically, his reflexes as sharp as ever.

"Yes of course, I expected as much, but would you also take Catherine to the lift for me? And also," Larsa handed her a fat wad of gil he'd extracted from his pocket, "5000gil, should be enough for supplies and equipment from that Stranded Merchant, he can keep the change if he really needs it or if we don't need it."

"Yup, that's the drill ain't it?" Kira said as she stuffed the gil into her pocket and nodded.

"Right, then I'll meet you by the lift." Larsa smiled brightly and headed off down the rest of the stairs and disappeared into a narrow alley away.

Kira exhaled sharply and turned to Catherine before saying brightly, "Alright Prince Peach, it's just you and me now, so let's try and get along alright?" Kira smiled brightly and held out her hand to Catherine.

Catherine looked up at Kira, her eyes slightly glazed over with unshed tears. Catherine stood there, staring at Kira for a good while before she finally took her hand reluctantly and shook it briefly before letting go and turning away from her without a word.

Kira's smiled widened as she cheered a small cheer of victory before saying, "Alright then, let's go! Come on, it's not that far, the lift that is, so you'll be reunited with your prince in no time yeah?" Kira winked at Catherine as she flushed slightly at her choice of words.

Catherine pouted slightly as she followed Kira silently, glad that she didn't try to start up any conversation between the two of them; she wasn't sure she would be able to say anything that was particularly nice or simply not rude to her. As they walked together in silence Catherine began to take note of the filth around her. The splendor and glamour that was Archades had suddenly vanished and now all she could see was dirt and scraps. She couldn't find one clean spot on the walls, not one corner that wasn't piled high with junk, not one alley that didn't have at least two rusted barrels with god knows what in them. Catherine instinctively drew closer to Kira as they walked and Kira smirked as she took notice of it.

"First time you've ever been to Old Archades huh? Surprised?" Catherine looked up at Kira with a shocked expression. They were still in Archades? 'Impossible!', she thought. "Shocking that such a place could exist under a thriving city of such high standard and beauty as Archades, but it was in fact that city that created this place, this slum. Whenever people loose their way in the city, they fall and end up down here, where no one gives a damn about them, except me and Larsa of course." Kira said as the continued to walk.

As they passed a small house on the corner of an alley way, at least ten children suddenly darted out and tackled Kira.

"KIRA!!!"

"Kira you're back!!"

"Onee-chan!!"

"Did you bring any food today?!"

"KIRA!! Kira come play with us!!"

"Kira!! Where's Lamont?!"

"Kiraaa!!!"

"My my! Children stop it! You'll kill the poor girl, she's about to topple over!" A tall regal looking woman said as she stepped out of the house. As she came out, the children immediately detached themselves from Kira's waist where they had all managed to wrap some part of themselves whether it was an arms or a leg around her.

Kira coughed slightly as she tried desperately to regain her breath. "Ah, I'm sorry about that Kira, they've been excited all day since they know what day today is." She paused for a moment as she caught Kira's full attention. The woman gulped slightly and her eyes hardened a bit before she continued, almost as if she felt slight guilt, "Speaking of what day today is..."

Kira smiled and held up a hand for her to stop before she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a wad of gil and handed it to the woman before saying, "10,000 gil, that should be enough to be able to have your once a week soup day for everyone until next month right?"

"Oh you blessed child! I'll never understand how one could possibly be as selfless as you." The woman clasped Kira's hand in both of hers and smiled widely as tears of joy streamed down her face while the children cheered at the news of possible soup for dinner that night. Kira smiled brightly and laughed with the kids as they cheered and thanked her, constantly letting them know that it was alright and that she'd do anything for them.

Catherine watched, amazed at how happy the children and the woman seemed to be because of a measly 10,000gil. That could just barely buy what she usually had for brunch, and yet it would have to serve them for an entire month.

"It will." Catherine blinked slightly as she looked at Kira to find that she was watching her. "Just now you were wondering how a measly 10,000gil could last for the month weren't you?" Catherine was slightly taken aback, she huffed however and folded her arms.

"I just don't understand how anyone could live in these conditions. I couldn't possibly get through one week with 10,000gil much less an entire month! Oh no, I've got higher standards than that." Catherine said and she brushed stray tresses of curly auburn locks out of her eyes and huffed once more in arrogant defiance.

Kira smirked and said, "When survival is the first thing on your list of objectives, you'd be surprised how far down standards and status fall on the list. Those trivial matters mean nothing to those that fight day in and day out for the chance to see another sun rise." Kira turned away from her and said her goodbyes to the children and the woman before continuing on to the lift that would take them down into the Sochen Cave Palace.

Catherine blinked as she mulled the words over In her head. All her life, the first things on her list were always Standards and Status. She had been grown to know that Standards and Status were the key to survival, so what Kira had said, hadn't made any sense to her what so ever. By the time they had crossed the huge, old nameless suspension bridge, Kira had stopped to hand out money, food and an assortment of other items and useful trinkets to most of the people they passed, and if she hadn't given them something, then she had at least spent a good minute or so just talking to them, listening to their sob stories and their excuses as Catherine deemed them.

Catherine was beginning to feel truly uncomfortable with Kira. Not only had she not introduced her to any of the people she spoke with, none of the people seemed to even acknowledge her presence either. It was as if Catherine had become a ghost, a shadow that was tagging along with Kira who was known by all. The truth of it all really, was that Catherine actually felt small when she was around Kira. She felt unimportant and insignificant to the point where it were as if she didn't exist at all. She was completely and utterly jealous of Kira, so when Catherine saw Larsa leaning against a wall speaking with a dirty looking Seek who sat on the floor in a corner in the alley, her face brightened substantially and she ran straight for him, crashing into his torso as she wrapped her arms around him, her sudden appearance startling him into a jump.

"Catherine!?" Larsa was shocked as she buried her face into his chest and whined loudly before looking up at him sharply.

"Don't ever leave my alone again!" She was just about ready to say not to leave her alone with Kira , but she held it in, knowing full well that it would not have rubbed well against Larsa. She held him tightly and ignored Kira as she walked up to them and chuckled.

"Poor Princess Peach here can't survive a minute without her Prince Charming, especially in a place like this. I think it best we get moving." Kira said with a wink in Larsa's direction before turning to the seek and buying up as much X-potions as possible along with some others that she knew they would need for Catherine.

Larsa chuckled slightly and looked down at Catherine before saying, "Was I missed so dearly?"

"Of course!" Catherine blurted out before she could think and immediately buried her face in his chest to hide her blush. Larsa laughed and Catherine smiled as she felt his strong chest vibrate against her cheek, the sound of his laughter echoing inside her.

"Alright love birds! We're off!" Kira said cheerily as she hopped ahead of them down a narrow alley way that lead to the lift to take them down to the Sochen Cave Palace.

"But Larsa, I am still unsure of where we are headed..." Catherine said sheepishly as she realized that she actually had no idea where they were going.

"Oh that's right. Sorry about that, here let me show you." Larsa said, pulling a small folded up map of Ivalice out of his back pocket and laying it out on the floor. Catherine gracefully stooped down, her dresses neatly pulled over her closed knees and tucked under her buttocks as she leaned over to keep her balance and get a good look at the map while Kira and Larsa stooped down normally, balancing their weight perfectly while Catherine struggled to stay balanced, holding unto Larsa's sleeve to stay upright. "alright, we are here." Larsa said, pointing to a point on the map near the top right that was elaborately labeled "Archadia". "We are headed to Dalmasca first, to drop you off by Old Dalan, and then Kira and I are going for the hunt, where ever that is." Larsa stopped to look at Catherine to make sure that she was following and nodded once when he couldn't find any confusion adorning her features. "First we must pass through the Sochen Cave Palace, then the Tchita Uplands, through Phon Cost, the Salika Wood, The Mosphoran Highwaste, Nalbina Fortress and finally, Rabanastre."

Catherine nodded slowly and wondered just how they were going to get there and why he bothered to mention all those places. "So then, what will be our mode of transportation?"

Catherine pouted slightly when Kira stood up and laughed loudly before saying, "Hah! We walking honey!"

Catherine's mouth fell before she could catch it and by the time she regained her composer, Larsa was already walking towards the lift. "Larsa! Larsa, wait! Are we really going to walk all the way to Rabanastre?" He couldn't possibly be serious, they couldn't possibly expect her to walk all the way to Rabanastre.

Larsa turned to her and smiled a weak smile before scratching the back of his head and saying, "Sorry Catherine, but we don't really have a choice. In order to raise money, we have to collect loot by defeating creatures and this is just the best way to do it. Not to mention you could become stronger along the way." He smiled that guilty yet beautiful smile that she couldn't possibly resist and Catherine pouted slightly before turning away from him and huffing, a sign that she had nothing left to say in the argument.

Kira activated the lift and walked over to Larsa and Catherine to wait with them as the lift took its time to come up. "So, Larsa, Catherine," Kira said, regarding them both, "how did you two meet exactly? I mean, the Princess of Rossaria, and the Prince of Archadia, rather odd couple one would think no?" Kira smirked as they all stepped unto the lift, both Larsa's and Catherine's faces flushed.

"Well, it's an old tale really." Larsa said with a chuckle, "I suppose I should tell it quickly, before our hands become full." Larsa said, looking down at the floor of the lift, referring to the enemies to be found in the Sochen Cave Palace.

Catherine glanced up at Larsa, not catching the meaning behind his statement, but instead settled for listening to him while he told their story. She smiled slightly as she engulfed herself in fond memories of their shared past.

"It was a full decade ago that I first met Catherine. During that time, my two eldest brothers, Dante and Caspian, were engaging in a rather heated competition. A political duel of sorts over the throne. Their little squabble, however, expanded and soon resulted in civil war. Those time was dangerous, and I was well known for sneaking out at night and prowling the streets whether or not it meant walking through cross fire, I was too naïve back then. I often thought they were simply playing a rather energetic game of "Gang Wars", like my friends and I used to play in the gardens of the palace. So in order to keep his youngest son safe during the time of war, my Father sent me to live with a good friend of his in Nabudis. It was there that I had met Catherine." Catherine smiled as she remembered the first time she had seen Larsa.

It had been during the annual Rossarian Feast of the Saints of Fructuis and I had been spending the time with my older cousin in Nabudis. I was just barely six years old and was playing in the gardens, picking flowers one day when a boy with short black hair and bright blue eyes suddenly darted through the gardens at top speed, completely knocking me over and trampling my flowers.

"What's wrong with you?! That hurt!! And you've crushed my flowers!!" I said angrily as tears welled up in me eyes, my small round face screwed up into an angry pout.

"Wah!! Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" The boy came running over to me and immediately offered his hand. "Need a hand?!" He grinned brightly at me, as if we'd been friends for life.

I scuffed at his offered and attempted to stand by myself, but I could not. I could feel the tears of frustration building behind my eyes and I squeezed them shut, trying my hardest to suppress them. I heard a small laugh from above and looked up to find the boy leaning over me.

"You sure you don't need that hand?" His smile captivated me as I automatically took his hand and allowed him to help me stand up. He walked with me to my cousin and there I found out that he was actually the son of a friend of my uncle's. I was surprised to hear that he was in fact the Prince of Archadia.

I was appalled at his behavior as a prince and devoted all of my time there to teaching him the true ways of royalty. It wasn't easy mind you, I oft' times had a right mind to tie him to a chair and shove the book up his nose, but of course I alone was not capable of such a task. We grown fond of each other and learned more and more about each other as the years went by. I would come down to Nabudis every time there was a holiday, and in Rossaria, there are many different holidays that we honour through out the year, so a good portion of my time was spent with Larsa, and whenever I wasn't with him, he was all that was on my mind. You could say that I was struck by Cupid's arrow and all of my servants and hand maids constantly teased me about my new found crush on the Archadian Prince. My father too found it rather amusing, but he had warned me several times that it was not likely that Larsa would be able to stay in Nabudis forever, it was not his home land after all.

For the three years that Larsa spent in Nabudis, it never truly occurred to me what father had meant, but it hit me full force when I had received a letter from Larsa on my ninth birthday which I was celebrating in Rossaria to my great dismay. When I receive the letter I was ecstatic of course, when I read it however, I felt as I had never felt before. I had spent the entire day crying over the loss of my best friend and crush and my father had to cancel everything he had planned for the day because I refused to leave my room while some of my closest hand maids tried desperately to cheer me up.

For the first time in my life, I felt I was treated unfairly. Why did he have to leave so suddenly? Why did he have to leave while I wasn't their? Why was I not even given the chance to say a proper good bye? I was very upset and stayed that way for a good month or so before I received the reply to the letter I had scent him in return. I cheered up instantly as his letter had announced that he would be writing to me every week until we were able to meet again and that he expected me to reply. Oh he needed worry about that, I thought with a wide smile as I rushed to write my reply as quickly as possible.

Three months into this exchange programme however, a divide between Archadia and Rossaria began as My father and Larsa's Father began to disagree on many different plains. Soon enough, Archadia and Rossaria were so divided and separate that no Archadian or Rossaria was ever spotted on each others land. Nothing, not even letter was exchanged between the two countries. There was no way we could possibly reach each other now.

I often fought with me father after that, begging and pleading with him to allow me to send at least one letter, but he refused every time, and most times he'd rant about it and about how traitorous Archadians were and that any child of Gramis' was a child of the Devil. I cried every time we argued like this. Not in front of him of course, but at nights, when I was along in my bed, thinking about Larsa and how there was hardly any hope of us meeting again.

When the war between Archadia and Dalmasca had been subdued by Queen Ashe, and her companions, which included Larsa, my father later learned, he finally began to warm up to House Solidor again, considering that it was only Larsa now after all. And those I was once again given permission to visit or send letters to him, my father, however, still held some semblance of disdain towards House Solidor for he had piled my plate with the activities of a Princess, going to balls and meeting with aristocrats and the occasional blind date he set up for me and of course the papers and the organizing and the public speeches, all the work of a Princess. He clearly didn't want me to have anytime to myself, lest I give it away to Larsa like he knew I would.

It wasn't until four years later that he had finally loosened his choke hold on me and allowed me a visit to Archadia, and on my own as well. I was most happy when he announced the good news to me. His reasons were also good news. I had been very happy that day and decided to set out immediately, and so I did.

I was so excited to see Larsa once more that it had never occurred to me that he might've met other girls while we had been apart. Oh the fool I played.

"Catherine!" Catherine jolted slightly as she felt a slight breeze brush the top of her nose, her train of memory cut short as someone tried desperately to get her attention by waving his hand vigorously in front of her face.

Catherine looked up to see Kira staring at her with a quirked brow. "You alright Princess Peach? You've been staring at the ground for forever and a half now." She leaned away from Catherine and stood akimbo with a curious expression on her face.

"Ah! No, no I'm fine." Catherine said as she regally brushed imaginary dust from her skirt, her face slightly flushed from embarrassment, she held her head up high however as she followed her out of the lift to where Larsa stood by an ancient door, waiting for them.

"Well, that's good to hear, 'cause you're in for one wild ride Peachy." Kira grinned back at Catherine as she cackled her way out the door that opened automatically, the grinding of stone against stone echoing loudly in the underground chamber.

Catherine's brow furrowed and she turned to Larsa with a worried expression. Larsa smiled however and said to her, "You're safe with me, don't worry." Catherine's smile brightened and she giggled slightly as Larsa held his hand out to her. She took it gratefully and walked with him side by side out the door and into the infamous Sochen Cave Palace. She of course, had no idea where she was, or the horrors that awaited her.

OoOoO

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – if you recognize it, then I don't own it...if you don't then its MINE!!! =P

Chapter 3

Catherine screamed for the fifth time as Larsa deftly struck the zombie with his sword twice in a row then watched it collapse in a heap and whither away before turning to Catherine and saying, "Oh come on, we've only a bit farther to go and we'll be out in no time." Larsa said as he took Catherine's hand again and lead her on as they followed closely behind Kira as she cleared a path for them, cutting down any enemies that came before her. Larsa would've gladly been the one to clear a path for the ladies, but Catherine had insisted on clinging to his arm like a leech and only ever letting go when he'd harshly wrenched it from her in order to protect her from any zombie that may have crawled out of the ground behind Kira.

Catherine was not enjoying herself at all. On top of having to have to walk the whole way, she had to walk through this place, where all her worst nightmares came true. There were zombies and multi-coloured cockatrices with scary faces and Headless Soldiers with huge axes and some with swirling balls of ice for heads. Catherine clung to Larsa for dear life. She was frightened into silence most of the time and only managed a weak hearted screech whenever a zombie would crawl out of the floor directly beside or in front of her. She had also been crying the whole time and now had a flowing river of tears running from her eyes that she hardly even noticed as she carefully watched her surroundings, her actions and movements identical to that of a skittish rabbit trying to find its way out the wolf's den.

Larsa was right however, and before long, they were outside the Sochen Cave Palace and finally out in the warm sun light and among the grassy planes of the Tchita Uplands. Catherine collapsed to her knees as she felt the warm sun hit her pale face and felt the exhaustion spread throughout her entire body. "Oh...I can't...go on like this." Catherine moaned as Larsa knelt down beside her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Larsa bit his bottom lip and looked up at Kira who had just killed a Serpent and was stuffing the loot into her bag, as if begging her for help. Kira sighed and smiled a bit before she said, "You know, we could always just teleport to Rabanastre."

Catherine looked up sharply and glared at Kira, the first thing running through her mind was, Why didn't you say that before?! She was about to voice her thoughts, but Larsa beat her to it. "Kira, the closet teleport crystal is half way through the Tchita Uplands..." he held an exasperated look on his face as he glanced at Catherine before turning back to Kira. But then, realization him after he caught the mischievous glint in her eyes, "you're not thinking to..." Larsa seemed very reluctant as he stood up slowly. Catherine was lost as she watched Kira smirk and place both hands on her hips before replying.

"And what if I am? If things go well then we'll be there in no time and in one piece." She grinned and Larsa grimaced.

"And if things don't go well?" Larsa sounded worried.

"Everything will be fine! Done worry! I've got teleport stones galore! We'll be fine! Trust me." The last sentence was tacted on as Larsa seemed to be completely unconvinced. She gave him one last grin before he finally sighed and looked down at Catherine, in her rather pathetic state and knew that there would be absolutely no way she'd be able to make it to the teleport crystal and that if Kira were to really be able to pull it off then that would be best.

Larsa sighed heavily and turned to Kira and said, "...fine" She jumped up and cheered like a silly little school girl before pulling a teleport stone out of her pocket and seemingly gearing up for something. It almost seemed as if she were gearing up for a fight as she stretched her arms and kicked up her knees to warm up her legs.

Catherine was beyond lost once again. She hated when Larsa and Kira were talking. She never understood anything they said to one another, it was like they had a secret bond that she couldn't touch or emulate between herself and Larsa. She was really envious of Kira for that. "Larsa...?"

Larsa turned to her and smiled, "Oh, sorry. Kira...Kira is a bit, odd so to speak,"

"Special!!" Kira cut in upon hearing Larsa call her 'odd'.

He smiled at her and sarcastically corrected himself, "So sorry, Kira is a bit special in that, she can use magicks more efficiently than most other humes. While you and I may only be able to keep up a protective barrier for say half an hour, Kira here would be able to keep it up all day without much effort, also, she can teleport without a teleport Crystal, of course she still needs a teleport stone but..."

"Actually, I can teleport with just a teleport crystal and no teleport stone too. That's how I got to Archadia today." She grinned as she cracked her knuckles loudly and stretched her fingers.

"Ah really? Wow, that's fantastic!" Larsa smiled widely at Kira and then turned back to Catherine and continued, "And so, Kira should be able to teleport us straight to Rabanastre from here," He recognized the delight in her eyes and cut her off before she began, "But, there's a catch. Kira's not exactly...proficient at it just yet and so things might not..."

"Listen Larsa!! I can't take this negative energy that I'm getting from you! You're just raining on my parade man!" Kira was obviously joking around, but she really was getting slightly annoyed with Larsa's negativity. She knew he was worried about Catherine, because other wise, he would've agreed in an instant.

"Ah! But Kira, come on, this is dang..."

"Shush!!" She held up a hand to silence him, "I must concentrate..." She said half jokingly as she closed her eyes and held the teleport stone close to her chest. Catherine and Larsa watched in silence as she stood there, holding the teleport stone to her chest. Catherine was beginning to believe that this was all a joke during the first couple seconds of the silence among them, but then a soft myst began to swirl out of the stone. Catherine watched in awe as the myst from the stone swirled around them, forming a perfect circle around each of them, and before she knew it, everything brightened to a blinding white and she felt the familiar pressure around her entire body, like an orange being squeezed for its juices, as she was teleported away from the Tchita Uplands.

When Kira opened her eyes and noted her surroundings, the first word that came to mind was, 'Oops'. There was a moment of silence before Catherine spoke, "Is this Rabanastre?" She stood akimbo and looked around with a grimace at the dusty ruins of an ancient Colosseum of sorts with no sign of live anywhere, as though she weren't cowering in a huddle a mere minute ago.

"No, it's not." Larsa said sounding very annoyed and turned to Kira before, "The Ridorana Cataract?! How in heaven's name did we end up at the Ridorana Cataract? It's on the complete opposite side of Ivalice!!!!"

Kira cringed slightly and fired back, "I'm sorry alright! I was thinking about the hunt at the time and so we ended up here! This is where the mark is supposed to be! I didn't do it on purpose!" Kira said animatedly.

"The Mark? This is where it is?! Good lord Kira, couldn't you have mentioned that before?!" Larsa said, the tone of annoyance steadily increasing in volume.

"Oh geez Larsa just give it a...rest..." Kira's speech drastically slowed to a stop as she seemed to be staring at something behind Larsa and Catherine, her eyes wide and her head tilted upwards.

"...What?" Larsa asked after a long moment of silence.

"Uhm...Larsa...I think you should just slowly..." Kira had begun to slowly take a few steps backwards while she spoke but then suddenly, "DUCK!!!!!" she lunged forward and grabbed both Larsa and Catherine dragging them to the floor.

"What the...! Kira the he-..." Larsa was just about to inquire about Kira's questionable acts when he finally saw what had been behind him and Catherine. "Holy Dynast King..." Larsa breathed softly before he and Kira shot up of the floor, dragging Kira with them just in time to dodge a huge sharp taloned forelimb as it struck the earth where they once lay with such a force that it shook the very foundations of the Colosseum.

Catherine screamed loudly and clung to Larsa in such a fashion that it impaired his movement and caused him to topple over. "Catherine!!" He mustered all the strength he could in half a second in order to roll out of the way for yet another potentially fatal strike as the earth beneath them shook once more. Larsa tried desperately to pry Catherine's arms and legs from around him while Kira charged in and struck the beast once, her blade bouncing off its magically hardened hide like a piece of rubber off a thick plate of steel.

"Physical attacks don't work!!!" Kira screamed back at Larsa as she rolled to the side out of the way as the giant swiped at her with his claws. "And it's got reflect on!!"

"What the hell is that thing?!!" Larsa shouted as he managed to stand up and got Catherine to stand with him as she shook in his hold, her terror showing in her features like a huge red stop sign.

"I think its a rare type of wyrm!" Kira shouted back as she cast dispell on the huge wyrm before casting thundaga.

"This is NOT a Rank III Mark!!!" Larsa shouted as he saw the tiny amount of damage that Kira's magic had on the creature. And if Kira's magic had no affect on you, then nothing would.

Kira turned to him with a sharp expression, "YOU THINK?!" by the time she had turned back to the Wyrm, his claw was already in her side.

"KIRA!!!" Larsa shouted as he watched her tumble to the floor, her life bar reduced significantly. He threw an X-potion in her direction, running on his gambits before he finally shed Catherine off him and turned her shaking frame to face him. "Catherine! Catherine listen to me! You stay here, I'm going to help Kira and we are going to get out of here as soon as we get the chance. If we try to run now, we'll have no chance of escaping. Please just stay here." Larsa said softly to her, holding her face in his hands before turning to leave her for Kira while she stretched out and just barely managed to scrape at his arm, her fingers making a desperate attempt to hold on, while she constantly pleaded for him not to leave her, but he was too fast.

Before she knew it, Larsa and Kira were fighting the gigantic Wyrm, it's long tail barbed at the end, its wings with sharpened edges and its talons like that of a pedigree hawk, only bigger, much, much bigger. Flaming rings of magical fumes circled around its snout, ankles and tail, its cuffs that chained it to the ground while it should've been up in the heavens like most other celestial beings, or so it seemed. Catherine sank to the floor as she watched them fight. The fight was, futile to say the least. For every hit they landed, it only took off maybe half an inch of his life bar, which had five different levels to it, they were hit and half their life, at least, was eroded, forcing them to spend valuable time constantly healing themselves and casting protective spells.

Catherine watched with teary eyes as Larsa just barely dodged a potentially fatal blow from its tail while Kira cast a strong blizzaga at it, assuming that ice was its weakness since its rings were flaming and none of those flames seemed to be harming it, that was also the reason for her not casting any fire magicks. The ice magick however, dealt no more damage than all the others.

"Shit!! This isn't working!!!!" Kira screamed in frustration as she just barely dodged another swipe from its huge claws.

"Kira, we can't do this!!! We're not ready!!" Larsa shouted out as he attempted to stab the Wyrm once more, only to have his sword bounce right back off, nearly stabbing himself in the process.

"No Shit Einstein!!!" Kira grunted as his tail hit her full force in the side and sent her flying straight into Larsa. The two of them skidded across the dusty floor and Larsa instantly cast Cura on them and gave Kira an X-potion to full her life bar again.

They struggled to stand up again, the fatigue of the futile fight beginning to wear down on them. By time they got back to their feet, the Wyrm was no longer focusing on them, it was charging up some sort of spell and was aiming straight for Catherine. Larsa found his strength within milliseconds and was shooting across the Colosseum before Kira could even begin to jog.

Catherine sat huddled in a corner, her eyes shut tight, her arms covering her face and wrapped around her head while she brought her knees close up to her chest. Larsa ran the fastest he'd ever run in his life, in that moment he may have even beaten Bolt for that two or three seconds it took him to reach Catherine. As Larsa dived forward, ready to grab Catherine and go, the Wyrm released its spell and Catherine's eyes snapped open as she heard Larsa scream and she watched in terror as the spell hit his back full force, catching him just above the ground, his arms already half way around her as it shook him violently, his screams of pain and agony tearing her apart inside out.

The magick disappeared as instantly as it had come, but the effects were still quite effective. Catherine was so shocked by what had happened that she could even register what Kira was saying while she tried desperately to sooth Larsa, holding him in her lap and wrapping her arms around him tightly as he shook, the biting pain everywhere in and around his body.

"SHIT!!! Catherine!!! The Hell do you think," She paused to cast immobilize on the Wyrm, praying that it would work, but she couldn't even breath a say of relief when it did as it cast firaga at her. She was faster however and cast reflectga before it could've reached them. "You're doing?!?!? We're going!! NOW!!!" Kira grabbed Catherine roughly under the arms and lifted her up into a standing position, letting Larsa drop to the ground before she picked him up and threw him over her shoulder and ran, using magick to help her carry him as they carefully dodged the occasional trap around the Colosseum.

Kira and ran while Catherine tried desperately to keep up. Even though, the Wyrm was immobilized, it could still cast magicks and they seriously needed to get out of its range. They simply weren't ready to fight something like that.

Kira made for the neighbouring area called the City of Other Days at top speed to get away from the Wyrm, grabbing Catherine's hand before she had the chance to trip and fall like Kira predicted she would. As they made it out of the Colosseum Larsa's moaning and grunting through the pain was beginning to decrease. Kira glanced at him and found that his HP was near zero. She gasped and muttered a swear as she rummaged around for a X-potion only to shout out when he 'KO'ed on her before she could give him the X-potion. Kira decided it was best he stayed unconscious until they got somewhere safe anyway, so she left him. "What...What's wrong with him?! Will Larsa be alright?" Catherine breathed out between pants as they continued to run at a slightly slowed pace.

"It's called the Curse of Ridorana. There have only ever been about..." Kira, however, was unable to finish her sentence as she felt the ground beneath her suddenly give way. Both Kira and Catherine screamed as they fell into the darkness below.

Kira could've sworn they wouldn't survive the fall considering they hadn't hit the ground yet and Catherine was screaming so loudly she thought her eardrums would be the first of her body parts to be injured, but instead of them speeding up as they fell to their deaths, they began to slow down. Kira blinked as she felt as if some invisible force was cushioning her fall as she, Catherine and Larsa were slowly deposited on the floor far below ground level.

Kira blinked as she lay on her back, completely unharmed and whole. Kira stared up at the hole from which they had fallen and took note of far they had really fallen; if she were to hold her thumb up to it, then the whole could've been completely covered by it. Kira looked around at Catherine and Larsa first as Catherine crawled over to him hastily and began to check him for any serious wounds, or, at least, any more that might've been inflected on him due to the fall. Kira decided she'd leave Larsa's care in Catherine...hopefully capable hands until she could find a way out of here.

Kira stood up slowly and looked around. They were in a hall, a long, wide hall with a high arched ceiling and design that was nearly identical to that found in the Subterra of the Pharos. Kira also noted that there was a lot of Myst in this place. Kira looked to her right and found that the way down that side of the corridor was blocked by the rubble that had fallen along with them and that only the left path was open to her. She took a tentative step forward and continued to walk slowly down the corridor, noting that there seemed to be a steady increase of the amount of myst inside the corridor as she went deeper and deeper.

Suddenly Kira noticed that she was no longer looking for a way out. Something was calling to her. The myst was thick and warm and she loved the feeling of it, the way it passed through her and brushed over her skin, the way it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, it was exciting and alluring, she wanted to find the source. Kira continued to walk until, finally, where the myst was thick enough to be like a dim fog about her, she reached a door. The door was humongous and ancient with ornate designs similar to that of the Pharos yet still slightly different.

Kira examined the door and found that it had no key hole, no door knob, nothing to open it with and she could not even make the two doors out from each, if it was two doors and not just one due to the flawlessness of the design. The only indication that this was in fact a door and not simply a dead was a small blank rectangle shape to the far left of the door that had no design on it except for the faintest print of a hand. Kira walked over to it and examined it carefully before curiosity got the best of her and she placed her hand over the print on the wall.

Kira gasped and jumped back slightly when a bright light flashed under her palm and a solid click was heard from the other side of the door. Kira stood back and watched as the double door opened slowly, awe struck by the simple yet unprecedented mechanism that the door used.

Kira waited with baited breath for the door to open enough so that she may see what was on the other side. As she leaned forward to get a better look, she instantly leaned away as a man suddenly appeared before her standing in front of the slowly opening door.

He had long, straight white hair that hung loosely around him down to the middle of his thigh, his eyes were a breath taking ice blue with dark linings that exaggerated their purpose, His skin was moon pale and his loose fitting white shirt and blue grey pants were of a design she'd never seen in her life. Never had she seen anyone with clothes that looked even remotely like those so there was no way she could guess where he was from, neither could she guess his age as his face portrayed to image of him being timeless, or immortal.

The man entranced her as the door opened ever slower to reveal more detail about his appearance little by little. Kira was just about ready to ask him who he was, but suddenly a strong breeze blew from the other side of the door and Kira screamed as it picked her clean off her feet and sent her soaring into the air for a split second before she felt the familiar felting of being squeezed like an orange before being roughly deposited on solid concrete.

Kira blinked twice, before she could take note of her surroundings and what had just happened. She didn't bother to listen to Catherine as she screamed and began to cry, rambling on about how she didn't know where she was and she soon began to beg poor unconscious Larsa to wake up. Kira sat open and looked around to find that they were in one of the store rooms in Low Town, Rabanastre.

Kira stood up slowly and tried desperately to collect her thoughts. 'Just what was that place under the Ridorana? It's certainly not a part of the Pharos, I've explored almost everywhere, albait nearly dieing during each excursion, the beasts down there are just unimaginably strong, but anyway, it wasn't a part of Pharos as far as I'm concerned, and the myst around it, it felt strangely calm and soothing, unlike most times when I'm in the Pharos it usually feels hostile, but this time it was like, I was being pulled in, and then that door. I've never seen anything like it, not to mention that guy...just who was he...?'

"HELLOOOOO!!!! What is wrong with you!! Larsa is dieing and you're just standing there staring into space!! How could you!! This is all your fault!! I'll never let you near my Larsa again!!" Catherine screamed as she cradled Larsa's unconscious form.

Kira glance back at her and sighed. Catherine was right, she didn't have time to be dwelling on these things. Kira turned to Larsa and gave him a Phoenix Down and watched him struggle to regain his consciousness before casting curaga to get his HP back up before it dwindled again and also cast Regen on him, putting some extra 'uhmph' to it in order to allow it to work faster and longer so she didn't have to come back every two minutes to heal him.

"Alright, we'll take him to the empty house in the north sprawl and then you can stay with him while I deal with some other urgent matters. OK Princess Peach?" Kira glanced back at Catherine to see the dumbfounded expression on her face and chuckled, "No need to worry, Larsa'll be right as corn in two days tops." She smiled brightly and lifted Larsa up, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and helping him to limp along.

"What? But all you did was..."

"Don't worry about it Catherine..." Larsa wheezed out, the pain in his chest so great that it impaired his ability to breathe properly. "I'll be fine soon, you'll see." He gave her a week smile before returning his focus on putting on foot before the other.

Catherine pouted angrily. She didn't understand what was going on at all. First they appear at some strange dusty ruins and are attacked by this gigantic monster, then Larsa gets hit by some curse while protecting her, then they fallen through the floor into some weird hall and Kira walks off like nothing happened, and then they just pop up here! She didn't even know where here was!

As Kira and Larsa reached the door of the store room, Catherine said, "Where are we anyway? We should be heading back to Archadia, or to Rossaria where he can get proper medical assistance from people that are trained to do this sort of thing! We have to send word to Judge Magister Basch! He'll need to know that their Prince is ill!"

Kira glanced back at her and laughed. She laughed out loud and almost caused Larsa to topple over as she laughed harder and harder. Catherine's jaw dropped as she watched Kira double over with laughter and turned to Larsa for assistance only to find that he too had a smile on his face.

"Hah! Ah boy...trained you say?" Kira turned to Catherine slightly, ensuring she did not disturb Larsa's balance any further. "Listen munch-kin, you see all those certified doctors and those PHD holders and all that crap, they all do the same thing. Cast Curaga, cast Regen or equip with Renewing Moron and wait til the symptoms disappear. That's the only known method of curing Curse of Ridorana, that is if the person is strong enough to begin with, but the bottom line is, if it can be done for free, then why bother getting a 'doctor' to do it, right? Plus, you already know that my magick is better than anyone else's." Kira said with a shrug before she faced forward again.

"What!? But...but that preposterous!! They should lose their liscence for pulling stunts like that if anyone can do it then!" Catherine said following closely behind Kira as they continued on toward the north sprawl.

"Ah, but you see, they don't. So all in all the poor common folk who can't afford all that doctor bullshit come to me, and so, that is why I am leaving Larsa, in your capable hands." Kira said turning to Catherine just before there was a blinding light and they all felt the familiar crushing sensation of teleportation. Catherine blinked and found that she and Larsa were in an old house with nothing but a bed to one side, which Larsa was currently occupying, and a desk and chair set on the other side.

Catherine looked around for any sign of Kira and realized that she had only teleported Larsa and herself to this house where she would take care of Larsa. How, or with what, she wasn't entirely sure. Catherine walked over to Larsa as he lay in the bed and found that he was asleep. His sleep was so deep that it almost seemed as if she had cast sleep on him before teleporting them. Catherine gently brushed his cheeks with her fingers and smiled at the smoothness of his evenly tanned skin, she bent low and place a feather soft kiss on his forehead. "Don't you worry, I'll take good care of you Larsa, now and forever."

OoOoO

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Catherine sighed heavily as she placed the damp, warm wash cloth over Larsa's forehead after washing it thoroughly and sat there waiting for Kira to return. She was becoming more and more upset with Kira as time went on. As much as she agreed that it didn't make sense to go to a hospital for Larsa's treatment when Kira could do it just fine and for free, it baffled her as to how she could live with herself as she only ever came to him once since she left him with Catherine. She had only come to cast renew to keep him alive and left again.

Catherine was so upset when she had waltzed in, cast the magick and waltzed out that she nearly threw her shoes at her, but she had long since decided that Larsa was her priority. It had been about four hours since Larsa was cursed and throughout that time Catherine had been talking to him, giving him encouragement, a reason to keep fighting on. Letting him know that she couldn't live without him, that he couldn't die, not now, not after she had only just managed to meet with him again after so long.

Catherine frowned again as she sat with Larsa's head in her lap, her fingers gently combing through his hair as he moaned, the pain shaking his entire being. Not once had he opened his eye since they were teleported to the house, not once had he spoken, not once had he acknowledged her presence, but she knew that he was fighting it. He had to. Kira herself had said that the curse was fatal unless you were strong enough to fight it. How she could be so calm while Larsa was trying his hardest to fight the curse? How could she act as if he were infected with the common cold and just needed a few days to be rid of it? Catherine just couldn't understand her thought process. In fact, if Catherine didn't have Larsa to think about, she would've been freaking out at the moment. She was positive that if her primary focus wasn't keeping Larsa alive and well, then she would've been crying ever since they were teleported back to Rabanastre.

The truth was that, Catherine was extremely confused. Everything that had happened since they left Archadia, was like a movie being fast-forwarded while she was trying to watch it, as if she wasn't in it herself. She just couldn't understand how everything could've gone so wrong so quickly, and how Kira seemed to be so calm about all of it. The only reason Catherine was able to keep her 'cool' throughout all of this was because she had to, for Larsa's sake.

Catherine looked down at Larsa again and sighed once more. She wanted to cry, she was tired and hungry, mentally and emotionally exhausted and she was worried. She so worried about Larsa, she was fretting, she could see that he was fighting it, she could see that he was strong, that he was trying his hardest to stay alive, but the very thought of loosing him sent her over the edge.

Catherine sniffed softly as she felt the burning of tears behind her eyes and the stuffiness in her nose as her emotions finally began to betray her, as her resolve finally began to crack under the stress. Catherine brought both her hands to her face and squeezed them into fist as tightly as she could while trying her hardest not to let the tears fall. Catherine sobbed a dry sob and shook her head vigorously, trying to convince herself that now was not the time to be crying. Her entire body was rigid and her hair a newly made mess as she tried desperately to regain control.

Catherine gasped loudly as she suddenly felt a cold, clammy hand gently brush the one tear that had strayed away from her hands as was bent low over Larsa's face, the lone tear ready to fall from her before it was caught. She removed her hands instantly and looked down at Larsa. His eye were open and despite the smooth layer of unshed tears of pain and the easily read display of how his threshold for pain had long since been crossed, they were warm and held a gentleness most others could not muster even in their best conditions.

"It's alright, Catherine. You can cry." His words were soft and nearly inaudible, but she heard him, and she cried. Catherine did not hesitate in the slightest as she sobbed loudly, her tears raining down on Larsa's face as he closed his eyes and returned to his half conscious state as he fought the curse. Catherine shook as she sobbed, her tears flowing heavily, as if to wash out all the terrible events that had happened so far. She cried for Larsa, and for herself, for the hope that he would recover soon, that she may be able to spend more time with him, to be with him and be his.

She wasn't sure how long she cried for before there was a light knock on the door. Catherine is startled and spends a little time to wipe her face and Larsa's before she looked around at the entrance to see a small girl standing by the door. Catherine blinks as she watches the girl. She was very small, not possibly over the age of four and had short curly dirty blonde hair that puffed like an afro. She looked very fragile, slim for a child her age, not malnourished, but very slim and had on ragged clothes that were far too big for her. She did not move or talk as she stared at Catherine, her hands behind her back as she fidgeted by the door, her eyes suddenly watching the ground.

Catherine noticed that the girl was shy and wanted to come but was unsure of the stranger she saw, so Catherine smiled sweetly at her and said softly, her voice like smooth honey, "It's alright, you may come."

The girl seemed startled at first as she looked up sharply at Catherine then looked down at the ground again before she took a tentative step forward, glancing at Catherine through her messy locks as they fell into her face. Catherine smiled at her cuteness and beckoned her again with a gently wave of her hand, the other resting gently on Larsa's forehead.

Catherine's smile widened as she watched the little girl jog over to her and stop just out of arms reach of Catherine and said nothing. Catherine smiled at her and said, "Hello there, I'm Catherine, what's your name?" Her voice was calm and sweet, a complete contrast to how she was as she cried over Larsa, her voice course with worry and her eyes red; but now, you would've never guessed she was crying or worrying at all as she gently coaxed the little girl into trusting her.

The little girl fidgeted slightly before she said softly, "Tihana..." Her voice was small and soft and Catherine had to smile at her cuteness as she watched the girl blush slightly.

"Tihana? That's a pretty name. How old are you?" She asked her tone of voice held a consistent gentleness.

"I don't know, ask mommy..." She said softly, her tiny hands wringing nervously behind her back.

Catherine blinked and chuckled slightly as she watched the girl blush harder and said, "And, who is your mother?"

"Kira." the girl's face brightened suddenly and she smiled for the first time, a brilliant smiled that Catherine should've been smiling along with had she not been gazing wide eyed at the girl.

Catherine blinked twice before she lightly shook her head and said, "I'm sorry...did you say that Kira was your mother?" Catherine could not believe what she was hearing. There was just no way, no possible reason for Larsa to know someone so immoral, so impure as a girl who was not married, who was not even of age, who had a child!

"Yes, both mommy and daddy have been taking care of me since my mother died. I don't remember her at all, but Kira told me that she died giving birth to me and that she's in a better place now so I'm not worried." the girl said calmly.

Catherine was shocked to say the least. Her mother had also died giving birth to her, but her father hadn't said anything to her until she was seven and a half, and to this day she still cries when she thinks about it. And yet, here is this little girl, who not only knows that her mother is dead, but is completely fine with it, she understands what happened and isn't sad or angry or even guilty about it. Catherine couldn't possibly understand how such a small girl could've grown to be so mature so quickly, it just didn't make sense to her.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You don't miss her at all though? Your real mother that is..." Catherine had to know, she just couldn't believe her ears.

"I have Kira now so I'm ok, and Kira also says that my mother had asked her to take care of me when she was pregnant so that means that its all ok." she said innocently, not understanding the importance of Catherine's question.

"...I see..." Catherine said softly, simply amazed by the little girls level of maturity.

There was a brief silence between them as Catherine thought about the girl and her relationship with Kira, silently admiring Kira's ability to raise her and let her know the truth without scarring her for life before she heard soft sobbing beside her.

Catherine looked up sharply at the girl and found that she was trying desperately to wipe away her tears, her tiny body shaking as she cried softly, her sobs soft and inconsistent. "Tihana, Tihana what's wrong?" Catherine said softly as she reached out to the girl and pulled her closer to her, one arm around her small waist and the other wiping away her tears with an extra rag she had laying around.

The little girl sniffed softly and shook her head the same way Catherine had shaken hers not so long ago and said between soft sobs, "Is...is daddy gonna be ok?"

Catherine was taken aback slightly and realized suddenly that the girl was either an orphan or her father was simply no where to be found and that both Kira and Larsa were taking care of her, so she referred to them both as her parents. Catherine looked down at Larsa and found that his eyes were open and he was watching the little girl as she cried into Catherine's chest. Catherine gasped as she began to fully understand how close Larsa and Kira were to be raising a child together. Catherine was so taken aback by the idea that she immediately discarded it and decided that the "daddy" the girl was talking about was else where and that she had assumed that Catherine knew him, or maybe that Larsa knew him. Catherine squeezed her eyes shut after noticing that Larsa was trying hard to raise his hands to reach for the girl, and decided to ask before he could reach her.

"Tihana, who is your father?" Catherine had failed to keep the gentleness in her this time and Tihana had noticed as she looked up at her suddenly and shied away a bit at the hard expression on her face as she stared down at Larsa.

"...Lamont." Catherine suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at the girl, her sweet gentleness back into place as she smiled at her. However, when Catherine noticed that she was pointing at something, and followed the direction of her finger, her gentleness failed again. Tihana was pointing at Larsa and was calling him Lamont, no, Daddy...

Tihana jumped slightly when she had noticed that 'Lamont' was reaching out to her and had just managed to take hold of her hand while he gazed up at her with a soft, yet pained smiled gracing his features. "Don't worry about me Tihana, daddy'll be just fine you'll see." He widened his smile for her then winced, biting his lip to prevent a yelp as she dove unto his stomach and began to cry heavily as she clung to his shirt with her tiny fingers and buried her face into his chest.

Catherine watched, stunned into silence by Larsa's words and unable to say anything as she watched him gently stroke the girl's curly locks and whisper gentle nothings to her to try and calm her down.

Catherine watched and felt the tears building up behind her eyes and she registered a number of things at once. First she noted that Larsa and Kira had such a bond between them as to allow them to raise a child together, they were so close that this young girl understood them to be her mother and father. How long would it be before she herself could form such a bond between herself and Larsa? Second, she noted that Larsa must also be well known among the people of Rabanastre, Low Town, and maybe even Old Archades for he had a code name, Lamont, that this girl, his surrogate daughter, had called him by. And lastly, she realized with a jolt that Larsa was not fighting the curse for her, or at least, not for her alone. She was not the only person that depended on Larsa. She was not the only person that needed Larsa, she was not the only person that loved him and she was definitely not the only person he loved in return. Larsa was fighting to stay alive not just for her sake, but for the sake of his surrogate daughter, for the sake of the people he took care of with Kira, for the sake of his country, for the sake of Ivalice, probably for Kira's sake as well.

Catherine cried heavily as she realize how heavy a burden Larsa carried, how many people depended on him, how much he was loved, how much he loved and how many he cared for and how much work he had in store for him once he was king and she finally understood his and Kira's purpose. She finally understood why they were working so hard for the sake of these people. She too, could not imagine what this little girl would've gone through were Larsa and Kira not there to take charge of her.

Catherine jumped slightly as the door to the room suddenly opened. She spun around to see that Kira was making her way to the three of them with a soft smile on her face. "Now what's going on here? Goodness, soon you girls will flood the room with all those tears, what've you done to them Larsa?" She said jokingly.

Larsa chuckled slightly as he looked up at her while Tihana jumped and shouted, "Mommy!!! Mommy is Daddy gonna be ok? What's wrong with him?!" Tihana ran over to Kira and held her arms up so that Kira would lift her up.

Kira smiled down at her surrogate daughter and said while she bent to pick her up, "Oh you've no need to worry about Lamont, Tia. He'll be up and about before you know it. I'll bet you." She grinned widely at the girl and wiped away the tears flowing from her eyes gently, her touches soft, light, just like that of a mother.

Tihana immediately calmed down and nodded before she wrapped her arms around Kira's neck and rested her head on her shoulders, closing her eyes and popping her thumb into her finger. Catherine marveled at the power Kira had over the girl, at the way she handled her so gently, so motherly. Catherine wondered just how Kira had come to be the one to take charge of this girl. Weren't there others, someone more mature, someone who had proper experience as a mother, some one older and more trust worthy? Catherine watched as Kira gently pried Tihana's thumb from her mouth before Tihana looked up at her sharply with a guilty expression, mumbled an apology and dropped her head back unto her shoulder while closing her eyes. Catherine watched as she moved to place her thumb back into her mouth, as if she were running on gambits but hesitated and placed her arm back around Kira's neck, correcting herself.

She watched as Kira smiled down at the girl, she had been watching her and was proud to say the least that she had learned that sucking her thumb was bad and that she had enough sense to correct herself. Catherine couldn't help but admire Kira in that moment as she held the now sleeping little girl in her arms, the perfect picture of a mother and daughter.

"How you feeling?" Kira asked Larsa as she stood beside him, her expression neutral, even with her ever present smile.

"I've had better days, but I've also had worse..." He said, his voice cracking half way through, his strength returning slowly but surely.

"True, true..." Kira nodded as she recalled a certain event when she was sure Larsa had died on her, but he had pulled through, he always does, and he always will. Kira knew Larsa well, and she knew that something like this could not possibly break him. His resolve, his determination to make the world a better place, however silly his dreams may seem, they were still powerful and nothing could break his will. If Larsa fought, he was going to win, she knew that; losing was simply not an option in the dialog box.

Kira then turned to Catherine and cocked an eyebrow, "So what turned on your water tap?" She said jokingly with a small smirk.

Catherine frowned slightly and wiped the half dried tears from her face before she said, "Kira, how did you come to be this little girls mother?"

Kira looked slightly taken aback but smiled before she answered, "Long story short, I'm everybody's mom here. All the orphans look up to me as their mother, if not their older sister. Tihana's mother was about my age, she was one of my closest friends and was," Kira did a quick check to see if Tihana was really asleep before continuing, "raped by some Arcadian Soldiers just before the end of the war and became pregnant, but she was always a sickly girl, she had a very weak body, so she knew as well as I, that she would not survive labor, so she entrusted me with her child. She had said that she would love it if her daughter grew up to be as strong as me. She made me promice that she would grow up to be a strong warrior who would fight for justice and all that jazz. I'm not sure about the warrior part, but I do intend on keeping that promice." Kira said sternly as she looked down at Catherine, the strength of her resolve evident in her eyes.

Catherine gasped softly as she listened to Kira's story, shocked that such thing could've happened during the war. From what she had heard while the war was going on, it was supposedly very calm and docile in Rabanastre with the Archadians watching over them and Vayne being their Counsel, but it was obviously not so. "That..that's terrible. Who could do such a thing?" Catherine felt the tears building up in her eyes and did not bother to hide them or wipe them away as she let them fall.

Kira sighed as she watched Catherine fall into another fit of tears and decided that she'd best be one her way. "Alright, Lamont, I'm going to go check up on Old Dalan, give him his medicine, see if his conditions has improved any and report to you later, yah?" Kira said as she cast renew.

Larsa nodded, a new level of strength regained along with the refilling of his life bar, "Give him my regards won't you?"

"But of course, how could I not?" Kira smiled widely at him before she made her way to the entrance and left, Tihana still fast asleep in her arms.

Catherine sniffed slightly as she tried hard to control her sobbing and stop her tears. She just couldn't understand how someone could be so cruel, so insensitive. She didn't understand how while she was comfortable in her castle, safe and secure, there was someone out there being raped, someone out there was death warrant was being signed without her acknowledgement, without giving her any say in the matter. How was that fair? Catherine had thought the world was fair, but now she did not know what to believe.

She looked down at Larsa to find that he was watching her. Catherine gasped slightly and worked harder to wipe the tears away from her face, not wanting Larsa to worry about her when he had his ow battle to fight. "I'm sorry Catherine, because you came with me, you've been forced to see the truth of it, the true horrors of war. You are too fragile for this sort of thing and I'm sorry that that I have exposed you to it." He said softly, conserving energy as best as possible.

Catherine shook her head slightly before she wiped the last of her tears from her face and said, "No, I am glad I came. I would much rather know the truth than live in a fantasy all my life...as hard as the truth is to bare.." she sniffed again and turned away from Larsa, trying to hide her face as her eyes began to tear up again.

Larsa smiled up at her and whispered, "You've grown nicely. I am relieved." Catherine looked back at him sharply to find that he had closed his eyes again, exhausted apparently. Catherine blinked as she ran his words over in her head and realized that Larsa had been worried about her. He hadn't forgotten her during their years apart. He remembered her well and was hoping for the best, hoping that she'd grow to be a mature woman. She wasn't exactly sure what he was hoping for exactly, but he was happy with how she had grown and she was happy with that. Catherine allowed herself a small smile and a giggle before she replaced the now cold wash cloth on Larsa's forehead with a clean, warm one.

OoOoO

To be Continued


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kira was surprisingly accurate in estimating the time of Larsa's recovery. It was hardly two days before Larsa was fully operational again, walking about and even playing tag with the children before he cornered Kira at noon on the second day of his stay in Rabanastre.

"Kira, this can't go on much longer, we have to extinguish that Wyrm, now. I must return to Archades, it has been too long already." Larsa said urgently as he walked in stride with Kira who was currently delivering a bag of groceries to Migelo.

"I know. Once I get these to Migelo, then we stock up and go. We have to be properly equipped this time. We know its strengths and I found an accessory that might defend against the Curse of Ridorana." Kira said without really looking at him as they climbed the stairs out of Low Town and unto the streets of Rabanastre two by two.

"Great, that's absolutely fantastic," Kira glanced at Larsa and laughed at his supremely relieved expression. Larsa smiled slightly at her before he continued, "Alright, I'll go and break the news to Catherine, ask Old Dalan if he can keep an eye on her and meet you at Migelo's."

Kira smiled and nodded, "Take your time, I won't mind. Gotta find something to eat before we head out." She waved good bye to him as they parted ways, Larsa, heading back to Low Town to talk to Catherine.

Larsa smiled as he walked into Old Dalan's house to see Catherine sitting in one of the chairs with the children sitting around her on the floor in a circle as she read to them, her voice clear and smooth as she spoke. Unless Larsa was there or if Kira had the time, the children only ever heard stories from Old Dalan, but considering his condition lately, his stories haven't been as exciting as usual, so one of the others would read to them, if they could read at all, so most times the children hardly ever got the chance to enjoy a proper reading from someone who was literate enough. Larsa smiled as he watched her read to them, making the story exciting for them and interactive as she asked them questions and they would all answer at the same time in a tsunami of roaring laughter and chatter. The scene reminded him greatly of Sunday school in his younger years.

Catherine looked like she was truly enjoying herself and it was clear that she was very good with children; 'she would make a good mother,' Larsa thought with a smile as he imagined baby Catherines dancing around with their mother. He chuckled at the thought and smiled when Catherine finally noticed his presence and smiled brightly at him before she closed the book she was reading and told the children that she would return while they whined begged her not to go.

"I shall return, no need to worry." She smiled brightly at them and gently pried the hem of her dress from a little boys tightly closed fist before she walked over to Larsa, "Where did you go?"

"I went to speak with Kira. We have to extinguish that wyrm as soon as possible and return to Archadia before the day is over. Other wise they might send a search party for me, I've never been gone more than two days."

"So are we leaving now then?" Catherine asked innocently. Larsa sighed and glanced to his left before he looked back at her.

"I need you to stay here Catherine. It's too dangerous, you can't come." Her expression fell instantly and Larsa winced when he registered the hurt displayed in her eyes. "We'll work as quickly as possible and I'll return for you as soon as possible. So please, stay here until I've returned won't you, for me. I'd feel so much better knowing that you are safe here with Old Dalan." Larsa pleaded with her as he took hold of her shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes.

Catherine pouted slightly and looked away from him, unable to say no those beautiful Persian blue eyes as he pleaded with her. Catherine huffed slightly and said, "Fine, I will stay here with the children, but," She turned to face him again with a sharp look, "I'm coming with you to get your supplies! I have yet to see any of Rabanastre since we've been here and I want to know what its like!" Catherine said as she stood akimbo in front of Larsa with an expression that clearly stated that her declaration would not be swayed.

Larsa gawked at her for a moment, somewhat disappointed that she failed to see the urgency of the of the matter at hand, but decided that he hadn't the time to argue with her and said, "Fine then." He sighed and took her hand, leading her out of the room without notice.

Catherine gasped slightly and quickly turned to the kids and announced that she would soon return to them as they waved goodbye. Catherine struggled to keep up with Larsa's pace as he nearly galloped down the alley ways of Low Town and then climbed a set of stairs two by two. Catherine had nearly missed the fact that they had stepped unto the streets of Rabanastre as she tried desperately to catch her breathe, looking up once to glance at Larsa, during which she noticed the sudden splendor about her. Low Town wasn't much to behold in terms of beauty and grace in its architecture, but Rabanastre was a whole other story. Catherine stood up straight beamed as she observed the splendor of Rabanastre, the beautiful Galtean Architecture, its thriving population and obvious culture as women, children and men of all ages walked the streets, their clothes displaying their pride as Rabanastrans with a grace and beauty Catherine had to admire.

Catherine gaped at the scene before her and twirled around once to get a full view of the city and then turned to Larsa and said, "My, Larsa this place is gorgeous! Just as one would expect from the capital city of Dalmasca...It truly does have its own regal beauty, just as my father said..."

Larsa smiled slightly at her before he said, "Yes it is beautiful, but we must hurry, Kira will be in Migelo's Sun Dries." he smiled at her and took her hand as he headed toward Migelo's, passing the armour store and the weapons store without so much as glimpsing the sour look on Catherine's face as they walked in sudden silence.

Larsa opened the door to Migelo's Sun Dries for Catherine as they arrived and politely showed her inside. As Larsa entered the store behind Catherine, he headed straight for Kira and Migelo where they stood talking in a corner, allowing Catherine to look around at the different goods he had to offer.

"Ah Lamont! There you are...and who's that you've brought with you?" Migelo said throwing an arm around Larsa's shoulders and drawing him close as they turned away from Kira. Kira huffed and stood akimbo as she rolled her eyes at the scene while Larsa struggled to stay on his feet.

"Migelo, my friend, as vivacious as ever I see. Old age can't stop the likes of you can it?" Larsa smiled up at Migelo as he gave him a pointed look.

"Watch your words boy! Else I forget that discount I owe yah." He smirked when Larsa held his hands up in apologetic surrender.

"I sincerely apologize for my rudeness," he said, his voice laced with humour as the joke wore on, "To answer your previous question however, that beautiful young woman over there is a childhood friend of mine and will be spending some time with me." Larsa's tone strongly suggested that nothing else need be said and Migelo caught on quickly.

"I suppose it would be too much to ask her name." He let go of Larsa and stood up straight as he watched Larsa involuntarily brush imaginary dirt from his garments and smile slightly.

"Just a tad." He said softly with an apologetic smile in Migelo's direction before he turned to Kira and said, "You haven't gotten the accessory you were talking about earlier have you?" Larsa asked, noticing that she wasn't wearing any knew equipment.

Kira unfolded her arms and leaned away form the wall before saying, "No, not yet, only just finished organizing the stuff I brought in for Migelo here. I think it would be best if..."

Kira was cut off however when Catherine came running up to Larsa, showing him a pair of beautiful crystal earrings that shown brightly in the lamp light of the store, their beauty would've definitely complimented her own quite nicely were she to wear them. "Oh Larsa aren't they gorgeous!! May I have them?! Please! I'll do anything! It's only 10,000gil"

Larsa was slightly taken aback by her sudden request and was somewhat regretting that he'd allowed her to roam free in the store. Larsa sighed and looked at Catherine, completely disheartened by the brilliant smile spread across her face that he knew he'd have to break. "Listen Catherine...I'm sorry but we just don't have the money for that right now. We've already had this conversation, we have to budget our funds properly if we wish to become victorious." He had nearly mentioned that they would need it to survive as well, but he knew she would not understand.

Catherine's smiled really did turn upside down as she listened to him. By the end of his speech she was frowning so hard it was more of a pout. Larsa cringed as he watched her expression sour further but breathed a sigh of relief when she had turned on her heel and left to return the earrings to their display window with a faint 'fine' slipping from her in a hushed, disappointed tone.

Larsa felt extremely guilty and made a mental note to make it up to her, knowing full well that she may never be able to make it to Rabanastre again. Larsa turned to Migelo suddenly and said, "Do you think you could hold on to those for me? I certainly can't afford them now but definitely in the future." It was only a half lie, he could've bought it now if he wanted to, but then that would mean exposing himself to the possibility of being cursed...again.

That was not something he wanted to experience again any time soon, if not ever.

Migelo smiled down at Larsa and said, "But of course. I hope you know however that by then interest would've gathered and..."

"Just hold it for me would you, my friend? The price is of no importance to me really." Larsa said with a smiled that signalled the end of the conversation.

Migelo shrugged as he turned away from Larsa to go and put up the earrings so that Larsa could buy them when he was ready. Larsa turned back to Kira and said, "You were saying...?"

Kira took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, she was not fond of being interrupted, "Yes, as I was saying, I believe that it would be best if you came to the Armory with me so that you can choose which ever one you think is best. So find Princess Peach and let's go."

"Alright," Larsa said, turning on his heel to find Catherine. He looked around the shop carefully and found her leaning over a glass table, looking at one of Migelo's fancier displays of his stock. "Catherine!" She looked up sharply, her hair swishing with the movement of her head and Larsa couldn't help but notice how many other men noticed her. He frowned slightly and walked briskly over to Catherine and took her hand before saying, "Come, we're going to the Armory."

Catherine blinked, slightly confused, but complied anyway and simply settled on being happy that he'd taken hold of her hand. Catherine followed Larsa out of Migelo's Sun Dries and into the streets of Rabanastre where they met up with Kira who was waiting outside. Catherine frowned slightly as they approached her and almost whined when Larsa let go of her hand as all three of them began to walk together.

"Ok, so there are two different accessories that we could get, one is pretty cheap and seemingly effective so we'd have more gil to stock up items and such since we haven't collected the usual loot today," Kira began as they began walking, obviously addressing Larsa but not looking anywhere but in front of her as they walked down the street, waving to random people as they passed. "but the other one is much more effective, so effective that it would be near impossible to contract practically anything that wyrm spits at us, but, it's expensive, of course."

Larsa glanced at Kira after waving at a passer by that he remembered was named Kiwachi, and said, "How expensive?"

"About 30,000gil expensive." She said, looking at him for the first time with raised eye brows and a humoured look in her eye.

Larsa clucked his tongue whistled, "Yeah that is expensive, worse if we got two, that's 60,000gil...after that there won't be much left..." Larsa muttered solemnly as he rummaged through their gil bag. They only had about 65,000 to 70,000gil left after they bought all the stuff for the people in Low Town and in Old Archades after Kira sold whatever she stole from the Palace, and they needed the extra gil for items and magicks if they found any.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Kira asked him as they entered the Armory.

"Well," Larsa paused for a moment to think, weighing their gil bag in his hand for a moment then saying, "get the both of them and we'll see which one would be a better choice, get some second opinions while you're at it."

Kira grinned and gave him an exaggerated salute, "Aye Aye Captain!" she chuckled and went skipping off to the front desk of the shop to ask for the accessories.

Larsa shook his head at the girl's silliness and turned to face Catherine when he felt her tugging on his sleeve. Larsa had almost forgotten Catherine had been walking with them actually and was slightly surprised by her confused expression.

"What is it that you two were talking about?" Catherine had been completely lost during the exchange between Larsa and Kira and felt very much like a third wheel. She frowned slightly at the thought.

Larsa smiled slightly at her cute cluelessness but did not get a chance to answer her before Kira returned holding one beaded necklace and a broad, beautifully jeweled metal arm band. "alright, this one is the cheap one," Kira said holding up the beaded necklace so that Larsa could see, "and this one is the expensive one. Personally I prefer this one, it looks good on top of all that other juicy goodness, while the cheap one, well...it looks cheap." Kira deadpanned as she held them both up so that Larsa could see.

Larsa glanced at Catherine and signalled to her that he would only be a minute before he turned to Kira and said, "Alright, whatever you want." He handed her the gil bag and watched her skip off to the shop keeper to buy two of the arm bands.

Larsa smiled at her antics and then turned to Catherine and said, "Yes, what was the question?"

Catherine was dumbfounded. She could not believe what she had just whitnessed. Catherine stood there staring at Larsa, completely shocked that he would've so easily let Kira buy whatever she wanted, while she was not allowed to get anything! Larsa blinked slightly as he waited for Catherine to reply, confused by the sudden look of vexation on her face. He was about to ask if she was ok when she said, "It's alright...i completely understand." Her tone was sharp and edgy and completely threw Larsa off track. He was at a complete loss as to what could've possibly upset her and frowned slightly as she folded her arms and starred down at the floor. He could almost see her hair puffing up in her anger.

Catherine was, for once, relieved when Kira returned and announced that they should be on their way. "Good then! Shall we?" Catherine said sharply, turning sharply to the door and walking away form them.

Kira blinked twice before she leaned over to Larsa while handing him his arm band and whispered, "What's got her panties in a bunch?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea." Larsa whispered back as they hurried to follow her out of the store lest she get lost.

Larsa and Kira caught up with Catherine to find that she was going in the wrong direction but decided to leave her and take the long root back to Low Town considering that neither of them were about to attempt talking to her in her current state, lest she eat them alive.

"She always had this sort of a temper?" Kira whispered to Larsa as they walk a little ways behind her.

"Catherine? Oh yes, she can be scary." he said, exhaling heavily, an apparently painful memory running through his head.

Kira nodded slightly then shook her head with a smirk. "alright well, you know what, in the interest of time, I think it would be best if I escorted Princess Peach here to Old Dalan while you go and round up what little provisions we can get out of what's left." Kira said as she handed Larsa the now exceptionally light gil bag.

Larsa sweat dropped as he felt how light the bag had become and sighed as he rummaged through its contents to see what he had to work with while Catherine stopped walking and turned to face Kira and Larsa, her expression hard, as though she were trying not to explode.

"I don't want to go with you..." She said through gritted teeth to Kira.

Kira raised an eyebrow at Catherine and smiled slightly before she walked over to her so that she was standing directly in front of her, face to face, and said, "Time is of the essence darling, we haven't any to spare for your needs. Larsa may know Rabanastre well, but I live it well." She said in a soft tone that suggested no questions be asked before she turned to Larsa who was standing a little ways off, out of range of crossfire apparently, "I'll be waiting by the South Gate."

Kira then took hold of Catherine's hand, ignoring her protesting and began dragging her toward the nearest stairwell that lead down into Low Town. Larsa watched them walk off for a moment, before he wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed. "I'm getting too old for this sort of thing..." He mumbled to himself as he started down the street at a jog to reach Migelo's Sun Dries before Kira could reach Old Dalan.

"You're late." Kira said with a smirk as she leaned away from the wall while Larsa was walking towards her.

"I was forced to do quite a bit of bargaining in order to get the necessary provisions with the little gil we had. Now we have nothing besides a few pence." Larsa deadpanned, as he jingled the now practically empty gil bag in front of her.

Kira huffed and said, "Well we can walk half the way back from Balfonheim after exterminating this Wyrm. Hopefully after hearing our sub-story we can still get at least the 5000gil bonus for the tail I intend on handing to him."

Larsa nodded his agreement before stepping up to the teleport crystal, "Well then, shall we?" He said looking over to Kira.

Kira grinned and said, "You bet." and in your classic ring of myst they disappeared, no teleport stone needed.

Catherine sighed. She was sitting at the table in Old Dalan's home, her legs crossed and her hair tied up in a messy bun sort of arrangement to keep her back cool in the hot room as she watched Old Dalan tell the children a story about 'the Old Days' as he called them. Catherine had barely been listening to him while she sat there, fuming over everything that had happened that day. She was, first of all, supposed to be spending the time with Larsa in his castle, but she of course didn't really mind being outside for a change, going to new places and what not, but she would've much, much preferred if it were just her and Larsa alone, and if they had proper permission. But alas, Kira was there with them as well. Catherine frown slightly as she thought about it. She still couldn't believe that Larsa had allowed her to use all their money to buy an arm band that was three times the price of the earrings she wanted and not even as good looking.

Catherine groaned slightly under her breath and tried not to shout out in the middle of Old Dalan's story as she thought of how angry it made her. It wasn't fair that Kira seemed to be taking up all his time and attention. Catherine just couldn't understand what Larsa saw in her besides that she's taking care of all these people and working hard for their sakes, but everyone has their own sense of justice right? Her's is just a bit out there and more pro-active than others'. Catherine thought as she tapped her foot against the dirty concrete floor, kicking up dusty around her foot.

Catherine shook her head and sighed heavily again, even though it sounded more like a grunt as she titled her head and closed her eyes. She took a deep breathe and decided that she would just sit down and listen to Old Dalan until Kira and Larsa returned for her.

"Wow...I think I've had enough excitement to last me the next two months!" Kira said oddly cheerfully as she practically skipped down the halls of Low Town heading to Old Dalan's House.

"Ugh, I agree." Larsa, however, sounded fittingly tired and some what annoyed.

"I mean this is great! We got the bonus and that item he was talking about!! A little persuasion goes a long way huh?" Kira said, winking at Larsa before they both burst out laughing.

"Persuasion?! You nearly killed the man! If looks could kill then he and I would both be six feet under." Larsa said looking over at Kira accusingly.

"What!! ME! Little ol' Me!! Never!!" Kira said dramatically, animating her speech with wide movements of her arms and very expressive expressions.

"Of course, of course..." Larsa deadpanned, the sarcasm dripping from him viciously.

Kira was about to smack him over the head when Kytes came running up to them. "KIRA!! It's Old Dalan! He's been coughing up blood for the past half hour! Come Quick!!" Kira was running before Kytes could finish his sentence, Larsa had watched her countenance fall like rain had washed her smile away and felt the breeze when she'd dashed away from him.

Larsa frowned and hopped into a jog to follow them. He was just a few paces from Old Dalan's House when something grabbed his sleeve and nearly caused him to topple backwards and land on his back, instead he ended up skidding to a halt and dragging whatever had grabbed unto him with him. He grunted slightly when the unknown body collided with him as he stopped and nearly toppled over, again.

Larsa looked down to find a puff of tangled brunette curls and said, "Catherine!? Good heavens you nearly derailed me. What is it?! I must go to Old Dalan, co..."

"No, come with me!" Catherine said, looking up at him, then grabbing his hand and dragging him into a tiny room on the opposite side of the hall.

"Catherine! What is it I don't have time for this! Old Dalan he...!"

"Larsa! This can't continue!" Larsa blinked slightly, not entirely sure what she was talking about, but it had efficiently shut him up. "You can't keep seeing Kira like this! No, I mean...! Ugh...you can't keep sneaking out of the castle like this! As much fun as it is, it's not right! You are going to be seventeen in two months!! You are to be KING in two months! You can't be doing these things anymore!" Larsa looked completely taken aback. He thought he had cleared this up with her already, and was completely shocked that she would bring it up again at a time like this. Larsa was about to open his mouth to attempt to explain things to her again, but she continued. "Listen, I'd been thinking, and so has my father. My father, he wants to reinstate the Galtean Treaty, the original one, the exact same treaty that King Raithwall wrote. He wants all the major nations of Ivalice to unite in peace once more, like they had under King Raithwall's rule. He doesn't want another war to break out before he is able to make his dream a reality and I feel the same way, so we were both thinking that the fastest way that we could get the idea across to the other Leaders would be if..."Catherine took a deep breath and glanced down before she looked up into Larsa's eyes once more, "if you and I were to get married. Our Union would symbolize so much of what my father has been trying to say all these years and no one has been listening to him! If you and I, the heir to the thrown of Rossaria, and the heir to the thrown of Archadia, if we were to be wed..." Catherine took Larsa's hands and leaned closer to him with the happiest expression on her face as she thought of the possibilities, "Oh Larsa just think about it! Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could show all of Ivalice that there is nothing to lose in reinstating the Treaty, that there is so much more to gain from being united in peace! Larsa we could show them! Don't you agree?!" Catherine stared at Larsa as she held his hands close to her chest, her eyes big and sparkling, beautiful as she awaited his answer.

Larsa stared down at Catherine with wide eyes. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. It was food for thought, and he would've instantly agreed to try it, the Treaty that is, but for him to have to get married to Catherine whom he saw as the little sister he never had, it was, just too sudden for him. Larsa opened his mouth and then closed it back several times before Catherine intervened again, her patience wearing thin. "Oh come Larsa! It is for the good of Archadia!"

Larsa instantly glared at her. That was the last thing he'd want to hear at the moment considering that it was nearly the exact same words Vayne had used while destroying hundreds of lives in the war. "The last time I heard someone say it was for the good of Archadia..."

"For the Good of Ivalice then!" Catherine said, quickly correcting herself as she noted to angered expression on Larsa's face.

Larsa looked skeptical for a moment then frowned slightly, "Catherine...this...this is too sudden, I..."

"I love you Larsa." Catherine, her expression was serious, she didn't have that silly school girl look about her, she was truly serious but one could also see that she was dieing to say it.

Catherine had been shocking Larsa all day, but this one took the cake. Larsa actually stumbled back as he stared blankly at Catherine, only able to just barely whisper her name in complete and utter shock.

"I always have...and I always will." Catherine said, a bit more softly as her expression softened to a sweet smile as she took his hands in hers once again.

Larsa's mind was reeling. He was thinking about the idea of the Treaty, about marrying Catherine, about what she had just told him. It was too much, too much at once, he couldn't handle it. For the first time in his life, Larsa's mind was overwhelmed, and he was going to run away.

Larsa looked away from Catherine and down at the ground before he said in a rush, "I...I'll think on it...i must go to Old Dalan...now" He had been jogging to Old Dalan's House before he could finish his last phrase.

Larsa opened the door to Old Dalan's House and closed it behind him. He leaned against the door and took a deep breath. He squeezed his eyes shut and titled his head back. Larsa frowned as he thought about what had just happened, the entire conversation and his reaction to it. He had run away. It was a shameful and cowardly thing to do, but it was just so sudden, and on top of everything that had happened that day, and his being late to return to Archadia, and Old Dalan's sickness; it had simply overwhelmed him and he could not think straight. He just couldn't imagine getting married to Catherine, but already he knew that it would be inevitable. They were right, the only way the rest of Ivalice would even consider reinstating the Galtean Treaty written by King Raithwall, would be if the two were to be wed. The Prince of Archadia and the Princess of Rossaria. "It's perfect..." Larsa whispered to himself as he ran a hand over his face, his exhaustion beginning to set in.

"What's perfect?" Larsa opened his eyes and looked down to find Kira standing directly in front of him. He sighed and shook his head before he asked about Old Dalan. Kira watched him with questioning eyes for a few moments before she answered him, "He'll be alright for now. Just needed his medication and some rest. He's asleep in the back." she said, jabbing a finger over her shoulder toward the back of the room where there was a colourful mismatched curtain hanging that hid the sleeping quarters.

Larsa nodded to himself as he folded his arms and stared at the ground, apparently deep in thought. Kira stood there, staring at him, waiting for him to say what it was that he wanted to say. She could almost feel it coming off him in vibes that he really wanted to tell her something, but he didn't show any physical signs of getting ready to talk. Kira sighed and rolled her eyes before she said, "Hey, if you've got something to say just say it."

Her tone was gentle but also commanding as she stood akimbo in front of him, awaiting whatever news he was going to pass to her. Larsa seemed slightly surprised by her outburst but smiled anyway. She was always able to read him like an open book and he'd never figured out how, and now realized that he never would. "I...I'm going to marry Catherine."

There was a strangely cold silence between them and Larsa slightly wondered if the sudden drop in temperature was Kira's doing. Larsa, in truth, had no idea what to expect. He was ashamed to admit it, but he really didn't understood Kira sometimes. He did not understand her psyche or the way her brain worked, sometimes he would expect her to react a certain way and she'd do the complete opposite, and throughout the total of four years that he'd known Kira for, he'd never seen her get truly angry except for this one night when she had gone completely berserk, but that night is an exception.

Larsa almost cringed when Kira slightly opened her mouth and took a deep breath. He however, nearly keeled over when she said, "...Ok." Larsa stared at Kira as she stared at him, wondering if she was really ok with it or if she was really just saying that. Larsa immediately knew, however, that she was hurt when she looked away from him and said, "You should go or else those stupid Senate members'll have your head."

Larsa blinked. Again, he wasn't expecting that. This was the closest he'd ever really seen Kira to getting angry, even though her tone was even and her facial expression neutral. Larsa looked away from Kira and sighed. He took a quick glance at Kira to find that she was still looking away from him. He sighed again and unfolded his arms, turning to face the door, his hand resting on the knob. He didn't bother to ask her if she was going with him to the Aerodome as usual, because he knew that she wasn't going to, otherwise she would've been the first one out the door, but she hadn't moved yet, so he knew.

Larsa turned the knob and hurried out of Old Dalan's House, too shaken to even say good bye to her, fearing that that might've been the last time he'd ever see her again, no it probably was the last time he'd ever see her again. Larsa stopped walking and hit the wall hard, his head hung low and his eyes shut tight. He didn't want things to end like this. He took a slow shuddering breath and shook his head slightly before he opened his eyes again. Just then he heard Catherine calling his name. He turned around to face her and just watched as she jogged over to him, the thought of meeting her half way not even crossing his mind.

"Oh, I've finally found you! Where did you go?!" She asked, trying desperately to catch her breath.

"Gather your things, we're leaving for Archadia." Larsa said to her.

Catherine blinked and shook her head slightly before asking, "Now?" Larsa nodded and began walking down the hall to where they had kept their things trying desperately not to think about anything except how he was going to explain his extended absence to Basch, then the Senate.

By the time they got to the Aerodome Catherine knew there was something wrong with Larsa, but he wasn't saying anything, actually, that's why she knew. Throughout the entire time they spent walking together down the streets of Rabanastre he hadn't spoken a word and now they are in the Aerodome, and still nothing, except to tell the clerk at the desk where they were going, and now they are on the air ship flying to Archadia and still nothing. Catherine watched him as he leaned on the railing on the top deck of the air ship, his hair gracefully flying around his face as the breeze blew, his face expressionless and his eye glazed over.

Catherine frowned as she wondered if it was because of her sudden proposal that he was like this. She also wondered why she hadn't seen head nor tail of Kira since they had left to extinguish the wyrm. Catherine gasped slightly as she realized that she had no idea what had happened on the hunt and decided that maybe if she asked he'd reply.

"...Larsa...were...were you and Kira able to extinguish your hunt?" Catherine sounded somewhat shy, fearing what his reaction might be considering his current condition.

Larsa looked over his shoulder at her then back to the sky before he said, "We vanquished it fairly quickly, most of our time was spent negotiating with the petitioner." his voice was completely neutral and that made Catherine frown, because from her memory, she knew that that meant he was hiding something.

Catherine stood akimbo and leaned towards him so that she could better see his face before she said, "Larsa, are you alright?"

Larsa looked down at Catherine for a moment then smiled a soft, almost sad smile. "I will be fine, thank you."

Catherine smiled back at him and hugged him tightly from behind, her tiny arms gripping around his waist with surprising strength. "Catherine?!" Larsa said, somewhat startled by her sudden actions.

Catherine giggled slightly and said through a brilliant grin, "It's cold out here!"

Larsa blinked and shook his head with a small amused smile gracing his features. "Of course..."

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Not only are you late but you also took the Lady Catherine with you! How am I to explain this to the Senate members?" Basch was upset, no, he was livid. He could not believe that Larsa would have been so reckless, even if the chances of Catherine becoming injured were next to zero with both Kira and Larsa standing guard, it could still cause problems for the Senate and for Larsa as well.

"I am sorry, it won't happen again." Larsa said in a dead monotone that truly caught Basch off guard. When Basch had heard of Larsa's and Catherine's return, he rushed to meet them at the Aerodome and immediately knew something was wrong when he saw Larsa's expression and when he realized that Kira was no where to be seen. Usually they came together, and whenever they arrived at Archadia, they would separate and Kira could be spotted just roaming around the Aerodome, waving to random people, only leaving again after Larsa had left for the Palace, but today, Kira was no where in sight. Basch was surprised however when Larsa replied to his chastising. On a regular basis, whenever he was chastised, he would apologize and then joke about it and he wouldn't seem to have much remorse, but today there was something very, very wrong with Larsa.

Basch knew Larsa well, however, and decided to wait until he was ready to talk about it before he asked. "Well, I will address the Senate about this, you haven't need to worry. You just get some rest, you look exhausted."

Larsa looked up at Basch, slightly surprised by the sudden change in tone and smiled a small smile before saying, "Thank you, Basch." he watched Basch leave his room and sighed before he laid back in his bed, his hair fanning out behind him as he stared up at the ceiling. Larsa closed his eyes and decided that he would get some sleep as he was instructed before Catherine returned from her shopping spree, knowing that once she returned, she would want his full attention.

It was a bright sunny day in Archadia as the sun hung high in the sky, its warmth perfect for an afternoon tea session, one of which Larsa Ferrinas Solidor was supposed to be attending, but he instead, opted to stay in his study and finish the work that had piled up on him while he was 'missing'.

Catherine was somewhat upset that he would rather stay in his study and work than to meet with the high standing members of parliament for tea, but when he had asked her if she would stay with him while he worked, she could not refuse. Catherine was fast asleep on Larsa's desk by the time an hour had passed, however, and Larsa couldn't help but smile at her cuteness.

Larsa sat there and watched Catherine for a long time before he called for Basch over the Palace intercom system. Larsa then gently nudged Catherine to wake her up and watched with a smile as she slowly opened her eyes to look at him. She seemed surprised at first then slightly shook her head and began wiping her eyes while muttering inaudibly, whether it was to herself or if he was meant to hear her Larsa wasn't sure, but all he knew was that she was adorable as she yawned widely, delicately covering her mouth with her small hand.

By the time Catherine was fully awake, Basch had arrived at the door of Larsa's study. "Come," Larsa said as he heard Basch knock on the door. The door opened and Basch stepped in, his Judge's helmet under one arm as he closed the door behind him.

"You summoned me mi Lord?" he asked, as he stopped just short of Larsa's work desk where he and Catherine sat opposite each other.

"Yes, I have something I wish to tell you both." Larsa said, looking at Basch then Catherine. There was a moment of silence during which Basch and Catherine waited patiently for Larsa to speak. Larsa took a deep breath and said, "I have decided that I am going to marry Catherine."

Basch's and Catherine's reactions could've been compared to the two opposite ends of the spectrum. Catherine's lips curled up into a grin so wide it could've split her face in half and she screamed loudly before she dashed behind the desk and hugged Larsa tightly, squealing in his ear that she loved him more than anything in the world, while Basch frowned slightly and almost glared at Larsa, not understanding where this sudden decision came from.

"Oh Larsa!!! Do you...you really meant it?!" Catherine was truly ecstatic as she leaned away from him, her arms still around his neck so that she could see his face.

Larsa smiled slightly and said, "Yes..."

Catherine squealed and hugged him tightly again, refusing to let go even as Basch began speaking to Larsa. "Larsa, Kira did not accompany you to the Aerodome. You told her this."

Larsa looked up at Basch and sighed. "Yes..."

Catherine had stopped squealing and squeezing Larsa when she heard Kira's name. She had hoped that she would never have to hear about her ever again considering that Larsa had agreed to marry her and would not be sneaking out of the Palace anymore, so now that they were talking about her, she was rather upset, she didn't dare to say anything though.

"Lar...Lord Larsa, are you certain about this?" Basch asked, his brow knitted as he watched Larsa, searching for any signs of uncertainty. They were there to begin with, but, of course, they were gone the moment Basch asked.

Larsa furrowed his brow slightly and said in his regal tone, his resolve iron clad , "I am absolutely certain, Judge Basch. You are dismissed."

Basch held Larsa's gaze for a moment before he bowed and turned towards the door. Basch paused in his action before turning the knob of the door and said, without looking back at Larsa, "Will 'The Plague' return?"

Larsa looked away from Basch and sighed, "I know not..."

There was a brief moment of silence before Basch finally turned the knob and left the room. Larsa watched him leave and sighed once more after he'd closed back the door. He was about to go back to work when Catherine seemed to have come out of her stupor after being completely lost during the exchange between Larsa and Basch and was now squealing and hopping up and down beside him, her joy overflowing as she went on and on about wedding plans, when and where they were going to have it, how they were going to tell the Senate, or rather all of Ivalice. Catherine went on and on about their future together and completely prevented Larsa from focusing on his work as he was forced to simply sit and listen to her.

It was the morning of the twenty-third of April and Larsa had woken up surprisingly early. When Larsa awoke, he climbed out of his bed as usual, waked over to his window and pulled the curtains open. He had automatically winced, expecting there to be sun shining into his bedroom through the window, but when the curtains were pulled apart, there was no apparent difference in the lighting of the room, it was still quite dark. Larsa rubbed his eyes and opened the window, leaning out to get a better look around and noted that to the east, there was the faintest trace of orange light on the horizon and the air smelt strongly of early morning myst and the usual sounds one associated with the morning time were amplified.

Larsa sighed as he placed both hands on his window sill and dropped his head. He was tired, he was so tired, but he could not sleep. He could only think and wonder about Kira and whether or not she would come. He remembered last night, and how he tried hard to sleep and had become so fed up with his inability to fall unconscious, so fed up with his own mind and how wrapped up he was in thoughts of Kira that he had actually cast sleep on himself.

Larsa chuckled to himself. He had just realized that he had only woken up because the effects of the magick had worn off. Larsa sighed heavily and wondered just why He couldn't stop thinking about her. He couldn't stop thinking about that expressionless face she had when he'd told her he was going to marry Catherine, he couldn't stop thinking about how she told him to leave, he couldn't stop thinking about how she hadn't gone with him to the Aerodome as usual. He felt as if he was the one rejected rather than her were it that sort of relationship.

Larsa shook his head vigorously and roughly pushed away from the windowsill, annoyed with himself. He would just have to come to terms with the fact that there was a high chance he'd never see Kira again. It's true that the time they spent together was probably the best four years of his life, but all things must come to an end.

Larsa was almost chanting that phrase in his had by the time he'd reached his elaborate bathroom and began his early morning shower.

Throughout the day, Larsa had found every little thing to do. If one of the chefs needed someone to do the dishes, he was in the kitchens, if one of the gardeners needed help carrying seed, he was in the gardens, if Catherine needed to go shopping, again, he was with her, walking around Archades, buying the most expensive things. By the time early evening came about, he had been working for nearly twelve hours straight, and he was still going.

All but one of the persons in the palace was completely clueless as to why their Prince was going around doing chores and helping in the gardens, including Catherine, in fact, she had deliberately took him to go shopping with her to keep him from working in the gardens, to the dismay of the gardens who greatly enjoyed his company. The only person who knew exactly what was going on in Larsa's mind was Judge Basch.

Basch had found it rather amusing as he watched Larsa run to and fro, confusing and amusing the entire castle. It wasn't the first time he had done chores and worked in the gardens, but it was the vigor with which he did them today that baffled the occupants of the palace. Basch, however, knew full well that Larsa was only trying, and probably failing, to keep Kira out of his mind.

Today was the day that 'The Plague' was supposed to arrive. Every Twenty-third of every month, 'The Plague' would arrive and steal a random precious item from the Palace, and Larsa would disappear for a day or two. Basch knew full well that Larsa was currently torturing himself, blaming himself for upsetting her, being upset that she was upset, feeling guilty about feeling upset at her. Basch could only smile as he watched him run around the house, searching for every possible distraction.

When Larsa and Catherine returned from their shopping spree, it was nearing sunset and occupants of the palace were gearing up for the monthly invasion of 'The Plague'. 'The Plague', often came at night or in the early evening, so it during this time that traps were set, alarms were tweaked, soldiers and guard dogs were readied. There was just about any and everything you could imagine being used against 'The Plague' now-a-days, but yet they still hadn't even caught a glimpse of him. So when Larsa and Catherine were together in his study, looking through the many things Catherine had bought as she tried on outfit after outfit, and the alarm signaling an intruder went off, they both jumped for very different reasons.

Catherine had screamed at the suddenness of the alarm and immediately dropped to the ground, holding her hands over he head as she stooped, expecting something along the lines of an earthquake or a fire. Larsa however, had shot out of his chair and stood shock still, his heart racing. 'Could it be...'

Larsa was dragged out of his thought before they even began as his office door was wrenched open to reveal a surprisingly excited Basch. He smiled knowingly and said to Larsa, "'The Plague' has arrived. I will escort Catherine to her room where she will be safer." He wasted no time in waltzing into the room and gently picking Catherine up off the floor and heading out the door again.

Larsa's lips curled into a wide smile as he nodded his thanks to Basch as he carried a dazzled and confused Catherine to her room without a fuss. Larsa made a mental note to himself that he now owed Basch a great deal as he looked around his suddenly empty office and quiet office, bathed in the warm reddish pre-sunset light that shown in from the westward windows, the song of the crickets filtering in through a suddenly open window.

Larsa turned swiftly to his left after feeling a sudden draft from a freshly opened window and took in a deep breath as he watched Kira gracefully slid down form her position o his window sill, her flaming red hair swaying slightly in the wind, the pre-sunset light setting her hair ablaze, her beauty intensified; the angles and shapes in her face, gracefully sharpened by the shadows and beautifully painted in the warm evening sunlight that further darkened her already evenly tanned skin while her light grey eyes, tainted with smooth lavender shown in bright contrast to the darkness of her face. Larsa could not remember any other time during which he'd ever seen her so beautiful.

"Are you upset with me?!" Kira blinked slightly, looking completely taken aback and was entirely surprised by Larsa's sudden out burst. She smiled however, understanding where he was coming from, then she began to laugh as she watched him, his expression hopeful and frightened at the same time.

Larsa watched her, unsure of what to think as she laughed. He waited a little less patiently than usual as he frowned slightly, waiting for her to calm down enough to be able to talk.

Kira sighed slightly as she finished her last laugh, her grin still in place, before she turned to him and said, "Of course I'm not upset Larsa. I mean really you know me better than that don't you?" Kira chuckled once more as she thought of his expression when he'd asked her if she was upset with him. It was priceless, that expression.

Larsa audibly sighed a sigh of relief and was suddenly very embarrassed as he blushed slightly, realizing how silly he must've look and sounded. Kira saved him, however, by changing the topic as she stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding up a star fruit she'd produced from no where. "So, will we be serving as Princess Peach's Cortège once again?"

Larsa looked up at her and sighs before saying seriously, "I think it best she stays in Archadia this time."

Kira smiled slightly and raised an eye brow at him before saying, "She won't be happy to hear that."

"She won't hear it at all." Larsa said.

Kira's smile widened, "Hmph, well then, we;d best be off before your fiancée takes note of your absence."

Larsa smirked, "Agreed."

Kira grinned and took a quick look around his office before she turned back to him with a playful gleam in her eye that Larsa recognized as a sign of trouble. Larsa literally steeled himself for whatever might've come his way when Kira suddenly moved into a sort of fighting stance, or rather a stance that looked as if she were getting ready to run. He was even more surprised however when she suddenly said, "Race yah to the Tchita Uplands!"

Larsa didn't have time to recover from his shock as Kira stormed off in some seemingly random direction, running straight passed the door of the office and to the windowless wall of his office where she kicked open a piece of the wall and skidded through it. Larsa grinned as he watched her, surprised that she even knew about his secret passages around the castle, but glad all the same that she knew how to get around without getting caught.

He followed suit on top speed, skidding down into the small, maybe three feet high, four feet wide hole in the wall, only to find, to his great dismay, that she had triggered the trap door that lead down into another hidden passage that sloped down a full two floors before it ended in one of the more deserted halls of the castle.

Larsa could hear Kira's gleeful cry as she shot down the hidden passage, skidding to a halt under another trap door he remembered was in the shape of an insignia seemingly etched into the floor. As he skidded to his own halt just behind Kira, she held a finger up to her lips to let him know to be quiet, he however, only knew she had done this because he felt her bring his arm up to meet her face; the passage was pitch black.

She gingerly lifted the circular trap door and looked around. She caught sight of one set of feet pacing the entrance on the left of the narrow hall way, and nothing on the right exit. Kira smiled. She knew these parts of the castle well, and she knew how the guards worked as well. If she made a noise on this side of the hall way, them all the guards on the other side would run to come and check it out, leaving their post clean and clear for a mere three seconds. If she could clear out in that time then she knew Larsa could find his own way out, he always did, and it always cracked her up.

Kira lifted the trap door a little higher and took a deep breath. "HEY!!!" Kira's shout echoed through the hall and the guard was so stunned that he'd nearly toppled over.

"Who's tha'! Show yourself!" Kira grinned, one arm ready to push the trap door up and her legs set to spring her up and out of the passage once she heard the guard walk over the insignia. She waited patiently and Larsa could almost feel the excitement bubbling off her as the sound of clanking armour came ever closer.

Kira near exploded once the familiar sound of an armoured foot clank against the metal of the insignia. It was only a second after wards that she shoved the trap door open, sprang out of the passage and shot down the hall and out of sight; practically invisible, and entirely silent.

Larsa smirked and did the same, only he did not run down the hall and out of sight, there was no time for that. By the time the guard turned back around to face down the hall, Larsa was standing there looking quick casually around as though he were looking for something.

The guard looked flabbergasted and did not have the time to react before Larsa pretended to take notice of him and said, "Ah, the perfect man for the job! Listen, I've been searching for a book called the Repentances, by Nicholson...something, I can't remember, would you mind searching for me?"

The guard stuttered for a moment before he saluted Larsa with a shaky, "Yes Sir!" and ran in the opposite direction and out of sight. Larsa smiled as he turned around, heading towards where he thought her saw Kira flying off to.

As he turned the corner, he saw her leaning against the wall, holding her stomach with one hand and using the other to cover he mouth as she tried in vain to stifle her laughter.

She looked up at him and chuckled slightly before she calmed down and said, "You are absolutely terrible you know that? Terrible..." She shook her head seemed as if she was going to say something else but was somewhat taken aback when Larsa suddenly vaulted over the window sill directly in front of her and landed in the gardens below in a perfect tuck and roll before he started off in the direction of Old Archades.

Kira cried out in annoyed frustration as she too vaulted through he window, unable to believe he would cheat like that.

She caught up to him by the time they were half way through Old Archades and tried in vain to trip him on many occasions as they ran neck to neck until they reached the lift to take them into the Sochen Cave Palace and stopped, leaning against opposite edges of the lift as it went down.

Larsa was leaning over with his hands on his knees and was trying to catch his breath before he looked up at Kira and said, "Just what do you think you were trying back there?!" his grin spread wide across his face.

"ME?!" Kira shot back, her grin also in place, but her voice sounded astonished and annoyed, "And was I the one who decided to just up and ..." The lift stopped however, just then, and they both looked at each other seriously in a moment of silence before grins twice the size of the ones previous splayed across their features as they both bolted out of the lift and into the Sochen Cave Palace.

They shot through the Cave Palace, the two oft hem taking different routes on instinct, separated until they reach the last set of caves where everything merged together. Kira gasped as she realized that Larsa was ahead of her. She grinned a wide mischievous smile as she watched him running in front of her, just reaching the opening of the cave.

Kira took as deep a breath as she possibly could while running and shot into a burst of speed and caught up to Larsa just as they ran into the Tchita Uplands and tackled him. Larsa shouted as he felt something heavy land on his back, hitting him with full force and at top speeding, sending them cascading down a hill.

The two of them laughed out as they tumbled, a chorus of loud, boisterous laughing that was nearer to screaming on Kira's part. They finally coasted to a stop at the bottom of the hill and were still drowning in their own laughing and giggling before they could really take note of their current situation.

Larsa sighed heavily as he tried desperately to cool his laughter and regain some semblance on decency while Kira was still a giggling mess. Larsa shook his head and let out one last chuckled before he regained composure enough to acknowledge his newly found position.

He blushed darkly as he realized that he was currently laying flat on his back while Kira sat, hunched over holding her stomach as she giggled away, her legs straddling his hips while her head rested on his chest. He stayed silent and watched her. Her red hair splayed across his chest and her nearly bare back as he suddenly took careful notice of her belly-skin armoured tank top that she always wore which he never really paid much attention to until now, her giggle-fit slightly shaking her body causing her hair to move ever so slightly and he watched, mesmerized as on particular lock of hair slowly fell from laying on her back to dangling over her shoulder then finally landed in a pool on his chest, joining the other tresses of glossy red hair that had found their way onto and into his casual button up shirt.

Larsa only noticed that Kira had stopped laughing when she released he stomach and leaned away from him using her arms to prop her up as she placed her hands on either side of his shoulders and shook her head in order to get her hair in order and not have it splaying across Larsa's chest and her face.

She released one last giggle before she focused on her current position. She didn't seem as embarrassed or shocked by their position as Larsa did, but her cheeks had turned a light shade of pink when Larsa's eye caught hold of her own. The two of the stayed there, frozen in their position as their eyes locked, Persian blue sinking deep into light greyish-purple while light greyish-purple swam in deep Persian blue seas. Neither could look away nor did they want to, and only God He knows whether or not they were consciously moving closer and closer together.

It wasn't until Kira's nose brushed Larsa's that he snapped out of it, and a rush of guilty and foreboding feelings coursed through him, followed by another set of brazen and reckless feelings, but he forced himself to look away, his eyes shut tight, his lips perused. No matter what path he chose, he'd have felt guilty, no matter what path he choose, he would've felt as if he'd done something right. What was he to do then?

Kira blinked as he turned away from her then sighed softly. She understood, she knew he couldn't and she didn't have the right to force him. She smiled slightly, he surely had more self control than most boys his age and she was proud of him for it. She looked over to the right while Larsa was staring hard to the left and gasped slightly as she took in the sudden beauty of the sunset. She straightened and nudged Larsa as she pointed to the west where the sun was slowly sinking into the horizon, pink, orange and reddish lights cascading along the open fields of the Tchita Uplands, showering the plains with a radiantly warm glow, its last show of brilliance for the day as the sun sank further and further into the horizon.

"Its beautiful isn't it?" Kira whispered as she watched the sunset, the beauty of her feature amplified ten fold by the radiance of the sun as Larsa looked up at her. He smiled and nodded his agreement.

They stayed there, watching the sunset in silence, neither of them uncomfortable, however, they weren't entirely comfortable either. Larsa watched as the last rays of sun disappeared from the plains and the first star made its appearance in the steadily darkened night sky. He looked up at Kira and said, "We should rest here tonight. I doubt I'd be able to make it through these plains in my current condition, worse at night."

Kira looked down at him and nodded, "True, you do look exhausted." she chuckled as he rolled his eyes and looked away from her. "I suppose we should rest her for the night yes, I don't think we'd be bothered much either..." she said as she looked around.

Kira nodded to herself slightly as she finished doing a quick visual patrol of the area and was about to climb off of Larsa and lie down beside him when she realized she was suddenly anchored to him. Kira blinked slightly and looked down at Larsa with a questioning look, but he could see her, he was gazing hard in the other direction, his face clearly burning red, his blush practically glowing in the nighttime darkness.

Kira chuckled slightly and said, "Uhm...Larsa...?"

His brow visibly twitched and Kira chuckled again as his blush deepened if possible. "It'll be cold..."

Kira nearly burst out laughing when she'd heard his excuse. It had barely escaped his lips, almost as though he were talking to the grass and not her, but shed heard him all the same and was quite amused. Kira shook her head and said softly, "Of course..." her sarcasm clear in her voice despite its softness as she adjusted her body so that she was lieing on top of Larsa, her arms folded under her chin as she rested them on his chest. Kira shivered slightly as she felt his arms wrap around her bare waist and secure her firmly onto him to prevent her from rolling off during their sleep, or so it seemed. She smiled as she closed her eyes and took in his scent, her nose brushing the fabric of his shirt for a moment as she closed her eyes and muttered a soft goodnight to Larsa, which she did not receive a reply to. Kira furrowed her brow slightly, wondering if he hadn't heard, but nearly broke into another fit of giggles when she realized with a jolt that he had already fallen asleep. Kira smiled slightly and opened her eyes for a moment, the temptation overcoming her as she looked up at his sleeping face. She moved as lightly as she possibly could in order not to wake him while she reached up so that her face was leaning over his own. She smiled slightly as he muttered something in his sleep and turned his head towards the left, making her mission even easier. Kira slowly leaned closer to him and ever so gently pressed a butterfly soft kiss on his cheek before she moved back to her previous position and flipped her off switch, falling fast asleep in his arms.

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own...everything else is MINE!!!! =P

OoOoO

Chapter 7

It was just about mid morning of the twenty-fifth of April when Catherine found herself sitting once again by the table, on the rickety old chair in Old Dalan's house watching Old Dalan stroke his pink furred cat of some sorts as it purred in his lap.

When Catherine had knocked ever so lightly on Old Dalan's door, he was already awake and waiting it seemed. When she entered he said nothing, and when she sat down he said nothing except to smile brightly at her. Catherine sat there for a good while, wondering to herself just why she was there. Catherine thought back to yesterday morning, the morning of the twenty-fourth of April when she had proceeded to Larsa's room to seek his company after being torn from him the night before, only to find that he was not there. At first she believed that he had simply woken up early that morning and went out to look for him, only to hear that the Lord Larsa had 'disappeared' once again. Catherine immediately bristled when she'd heard the news and immediately demanded that Basch go and fetch him for her. Basch however, simply smirked at her and said, "Oh I would dear Princess, but you see, I haven't foggiest idea where he might be." Catherine then demanded that he arrange an airship for her to Rabanastre instead, to which he replied, "Oh I would dear Princess, but you see, all the flights for today from here to Rabanastre are quite full and special arrangements other wise that may have found you an airship can only be made by the Prince himself, with his signature and seal. I sincerely apologize, I shall book a flight for you for early tomorrow morning immediately. Well then madam, if you'd excuse me." and with that he was gone, leaving an angered Catherine to fume over the non-sense he'd spewed at her.

Catherine knew full well that Judge Basch was very close to Larsa and had sworn on his life to protect him at all cost, for what reason she was unsure, but to go as far as to allow and endorse his lawless endeavors! That isn't protecting him, that's being his partner in crime.

Old Dalan suddenly smiled broadly at her, which made Catherine blink in surprise, knocking her out of her heated reverie before he said, "And what is it that I may do to help you, young heir of Rossarian throne?" even while Catherine gasped and stuttered, utterly shocked that he would know her lineage, Old Dalan remained quite the same as he continued to stroke the fur of his blissfully oblivious cat.

"H-how...how do you know who I am?" Catherine asked, her voice quivering slightly. Her father had always told her to beware of certain people; especially those that know too much.

"Oh my dear, I have my resources, no need to know about that. Not to mention the young prince Solidor wouldn't have just anyone for a guest now would he?" Old Dalan smiled at Catherine as she opened her mouth, to protest it seemed, then closed it back quickly. Old Dalan continued after a while as he watched Catherine fidget, "Now child, tell Old Dalan what has brought you to me, this wise old fool."

Catherine looked up at Old Dalan then back to the ground before shaking her head slightly. She looked back up at him with a certain determination in her eyes and said firmly, "Where has Kira taken Larsa? I know she's the one behind this."

Old Dalan blinked, then smiled and said with an exaggerated shrug. "I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. All I know is that they should be returning sometime today." Old Dalan's smile grew as he watched the shocked expression on Catherine's face slowly morph until she seemed rather irritated.

"Why doesn't anyone keep tabs on those two? It is not wise to let children run a muck on their own without supervision!" Catherine said as though she herself were not a child running a muck.

Old Dalan grinned and laughed slightly before he said, "Oh those children have long since grown up. They needn't any supervision. It is we, the older ones that seem to need watching; especially those in power."

"What?" Catherine couldn't possibly understand any of what Old Dalan had just said and he knew that very well, so instead Dalan opted for a change in subject.

"Wasn't there something else you wanted of me child? An implicit question you've been dieing to ask." Old Dalan watched as Catherine blinked at him then turned her face away, understanding and realizing what he was talking about. Old Dalan chuckled as he watched her slowly redden. "Ask your question child, I won't bite, Caleb might, but I won't." Old Dalan said with a big smile across his face, as he glanced down at his pink furred cat and began scratching behind its ears, earning him a soft, lazy meow.

Catherine pouted slightly and wondered if it was really alright to pry, but she was beyond curious. The question had been plaguing her mind ever since she had met Kira. She took a deep breathe and sighed a heavy sigh before she looked up to Old Dalan with a familiar look of determination in her eyes. "What kind of relationship do Kira and Larsa have?"

Old Dalan smiled slightly and took a deep breath, as though he were preparing to tell one of his legendary tales to the band of children that usually sat with him. Old Dalan was about to start when a sudden coughing fit hit him hard. Old Dalan doubled over as he clutched at his chest, trying desperately to calm himself. Catherine became immediately alarmed and ran to get some water from the jug that always sat on the opposite end of the table that she sat at. She rushed over to Old Dalan and handed him the glass and watched him carefully as he slowly sipped the water between fits of coughing until he calmed down again.

"Will you be alright?" Catherine asked him once he seemed able to speak again, genuine worry dancing in her eyes. Old Dalan chuckled slightly at her before shaking his head slightly.

"Oh you needn't worry about me child, more importantly, where was I?" Old Dalan said cheerfully as he straightened, moaning about his old back. Catherine watched him in awe, completely baffled by his seemingly speedy recovery before she shook her head and retreated to her seat once more, completely oblivious. "Now, as I was saying, Kira and Larsa, oh those two were like two peas in a pod from the day they met! Larsa, young Prince of a weakened Empire, heir to a poisoned throne; Kira, back bone of a community suffering from long term illness. The two are so alike and have so much in common despite having back grounds from opposite ends of the spectrum. Once they realized that they could help each other, that was just it, there was no separating them, until you came along that is. For the past four years Kira and Larsa worked hard for the sake of those in need, ignoring their own personal needs and living a completely selfless life, despite its inappropriateness in the eyes of those in power. The two of them constantly risk their lives for our sake, Larsa risking his position as heir as well. I constantly advice him to be extremely careful of the Archadian Senate, they are nothing more than a band of bitter old fools seeking to regain the power once held by the Archadian Empire, longing to see the fear, not respect mind you, fear. They miss the fear in people's eyes as you mention the Empire. If Larsa is not careful I am afraid to think what they might do.

"Larsa is not alone in his fight however, and I believe that it is this fact that keeps him going. Far too much for such a young lad to handle if you ask me. " Catherine nodded slightly, understanding what he was saying, and also his earlier comment about the elders needing supervision more than the youngsters. "However, as much as Larsa needs Kira, Kira also needs him, for dear Lamont," He emphasized the code name, "Is the only being that allows Kira to be selfish when need be. They both need each other and..." Old Dalan paused however when the door to Old Dalan Place creaked slightly and the two turned their attention to it to find Tihana peaking into the room slightly, her golden, curly locks bouncing cutely as she fidgetted.

Old Dalan smiled widely and said, "Why good morning child. Is it that time already?"

Tihana slowly came out from behind the door and shook her head slightly. Catherine smiled slightly as she watched the little girl stumble into the room and whisper a soft good morning to them both. "Good morning to you as well Tihana. Do you remember me?" Catherine asked as she turned in her chair to face the four year old.

Tihana looked up at her and smiled broadly before nodding and reaching up to Catherine as if asking her to lift her up. "Aunty Catherine!" Catherine cooed at the girl's cuteness and bent to lift her up and place her in her lap.

Old Dalan smiled and began to laugh when he saw Tihana tug on Catherine's hair, intending to braid it but only making a mess of things. He began to laugh even harder as Catherine winced and tried in vain to take the lock of now very well knotted auburn hair from the determined girl as she now tried to untangle the mass.

Old Dalan's laughing fit, however, had triggered another dangerous coughing fit. Catherine and Tihana immediately stopped their little battle over Catherine's hair and turned their attention to Old Dalan. Catherine gasped as she watched him double over and fall out of his chair, Caleb shooting across the room as the chair tipped over with a screechy meow. Catherine ran to get more water for him, half fulling the glass to ensure the water didn't spill as she tried in vain to get Old Dalan to swallow some of it.

"Grandpa..." Tihana stood, shaking slightly a little ways away from Catherine and Old Dalan.

Catherine whipped her head around to Tihana and said, "Tihana, go and get help! Find someone that can help, a doctor or a magician whatever, just get someone!!" Catherine instructed firmly and watched Tihana nod then dash out of the room, stumbling along the way, before Catherine turned her attention back to Old Dalan.

She was about to have a mental breakdown, or a panic attack, she wasn't sure of the difference at the moment, because she just couldn't figure out what to do. Old Dalan was coughing like crazy, completely unable to take in anything, may it be water or medicine; his face was slowly turning blue, which jolted Catherine into the realization that Old Dalan could not breathe. Catherine started to moan slightly and began looking around wildly for anything that might help.

Catherine stood up suddenly and dashed over to a draw and pulled it open, tears building up in her eyes by now. Just as she was rummaging through its contents, the door suddenly flew open and Catherine swore she'd never been happier to see her fiancée. Catherine dashed over to Larsa, shutting the draw in the process, and latched unto him, tears streaming down her face. "Catherine! Catherine what in Ivalice are you doing here?!" Larsa asked her as he tried in vain to lift her head up so that she could see him.

It was then that Larsa noticed that she was hyperventilating, her entire body shaking, her hands were freezing cold as her fingernails dug deep into his skin, drawing blood from his left arm. Catherine was having a panic attack.

Larsa rushed to set her down in the chair by the table just as Kira dashed into the room, closely followed by Old Dalan's Archadian Doctor. Kira glanced over at Larsa and Catherine and quickly assessed the situation before saying, "They both need space! Get her into the next room." Larsa nodded, "Take Tihana with you." Kira said as she noticed Tihana standing shock still by the open door.

Larsa wasted no time as he scooped Catherine up into his arms and rushed out of the room, ordering Tihana to follow him using his 'daddy tone' as Tihana put it.

Larsa gently set Catherine down into a chair in the room opposite to Old Dalan's where there was a slowly growing crowd of worried Rabanastrans. Larsa told Tihana to sit down somewhere and not to worry about Catherine as he went to get her some water, fighting with Catherine for a moment so she would release his shirt, her panicky state not allowing any sentient thoughts.

When Larsa returned with a glass of water, Catherine had pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them where she lay her head, her auburn locks cascading around her in a disheveled mess. "Catherine...?" Larsa said softly as he leaned closer to her, holding the glass of water out for her to take. Catherine's head shot up as she heard Larsa's voice, her unfocused eyes registered Larsa first through her tears, then the glass of water which she took and drank greedily from.

Larsa waited patiently and as she finished the water and sniffed a few times before looking up at him again. "Will...will he be alright?" Catherine asked, her voice horse and strained.

"I am uncertain. Allow me to check." Larsa was about to straighten up and head over to Old Dalan and Kira when Catherine suddenly burst into action and grabbed his sleeve pulling him back to her with unexpected vigour.

Larsa stumbled slightly and looked quite alarmed. "NO!! Don't leave me!!! Don't leave me again!! Don't...please..." Catherine began to sniff again as she buried her face into his sleeve. Larsa looked quite lost and looked over to where Tihana sat quietly, only staring at the two in completely silence.

"Catherine...I...what if Old Dalan needs something, or if Kira needs me, you're fine now aren't you? I can't..."

"KIRA!!!!! IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT KIRA!!! I can't understand why!! It's always like this!!! You're always leaving me for Kira!!!" Larsa looked completely taken aback. He was expecting her to be upset with him of course, but to completely explode and go nuts? This he was not expecting. "I LOVE YOU!!!! I love you you know that?!!" She shot out of her chair. "I'd do anything for you! I'm your fiancée for Pete's sake!! we're getting married in a matter of days, you are going to be King and I'm going to be Queen in a matter of days and your off gallivanting with someone else! I don't understand!! How can she be so much more important?! How can it be that she, who has absolutely nothing to do with you, your future or even your country's future be at the top of your list at all times?! Even that day! In Rabanastre, you allowed her to spend nearly all the gil we had on some ugly piece of metal they call accessories and I wasn't allowed to spend a measly ten thousand gil!!" Larsa's mouth fell open and would've hit the ground if it could at this point. "I cannot understand why she is so important to you!!! Is it that you love her?! If you love HER then marry HER!!!"

Larsa redden quite suddenly and shook his head vigorously before cutting in, "Catherine come on that's...that's ridiculous!! I can't marry Kira!"

"Then tell me that you love me!!" Catherine shouted. Larsa stumbled back slightly and opened his mouth but closed it back suddenly. Catherine was looking rather impatient and seemed about to speak again when Kira suddenly burst through the door.

"Larsa!! Old Dalan wants to see you!!" Larsa looked over at Kira then back to Catherine with a rather panicked look on his face.

"Larsa...!" Catherine whined as she watched him.

"Come on!!! Old Dalan is Dieing Larsa!!" Larsa looked between the two girls once more before squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head vigorously. He groaned loudly and made his decision, knowing full well that his silent apology would not reach her.

OoOoO

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own...everything else is MINE!!!!=P

OoOoO

Chapter 8

"Come on!!! Old Dalan is Dieing Larsa!!" Larsa looked between the two girls once more before squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head vigorously. He groaned loudly and made his decision, knowing full well that his silent apology would not reach her. Larsa dashed out of the room following Kira to Old Dalan, through the crowd of people by his door whom Kira shouted after, instructing them to leave and wait for her to make an announcement.

Catherine watched as Larsa and Kira made their way through the crowd into Old Dalan's Place and clenched her fists tight as she felt the tears begin to build up in her eyes. Catherine tried her hardest to hold in her sorrow but as her knees caved under her and she fell back into the chair, bitter, tired sobs escaped her and she silently wondered if Larsa could hear them.

Larsa immediately moved to kneel by Old Dalan's left while Kira moved to his right as he lay on his futon behind the mismatched curtain of sorts made from many different towels and rugs. "Where is the doctor?" Larsa asked Kira as he noticed his absence.

"I sent him out, he kept saying there was nothing left that he could do. It was just excuses for his incompetence!! He was pissing me off so I cussed him out and sent him packing." Kira hadn't looked up at Larsa once as she answered, giving Old Dalan her undivided attention.

"I see..." Larsa said as he too turned his attention to Old Dalan. Larsa took hold of Old Dalan's left hand and waited patiently as he slowly opened his eyes to look up at Larsa.

"Larsa my boy..." he paused slightly and took a shuddering breath, "I...i am I dieing man, you are all that's left now. You must... take care of my girl." he smiled briefly before attempting to squeeze Larsa's hand for emphasis. "Take care of Kira for me won't you?" Old Dalan coughed slightly, his weak and raspy voice just barely audible. Larsa heard him quite clearly however and squeezed his hand tightly as he kept his lips sealed, not daring to make a promise he knew he could not keep.

Old Dalan smiled none the less, having more faith in Larsa than Larsa had in himself, before turning to Kira. Kira was holding Old Dalan's right hand tightly with both of her own, her head resting on their hands. "Kira, my child, you mustn't worry about this old man. I have lived a long and full life, I have no regrets." Kira simply shook her head harshly, refusing to believe that Old Dalan was really dieing.

He smiled at her before reaching into his pocket slowly, with what little strength he had left, and pulling out a big old brass key with what would've been an elegant design had it not been for the rust and handed it to Kira saying, "Only when the time is ripe..."

Kira looked up at Old Dalan and blinked. She observed the key and took it from him, his hand falling back to his chest as she examined it. "Dalan...what is this...?"

"Kirharesh would be proud to see how...you've grown." Old Dalan said with a soft, genuine smile on his face. Kira gasped, she hadn't heard that name in so long, it had been almost ten years since the last time Old Dalan spoke of her. Kira shook her head slightly, not wishing to think of it and instead looked at the key once more.

Kira looked back to Dalan to find that his eyes were closed, and upon further observation, she saw that he was not breathing either. "Dalan...?" Kira said softly as she shook him slightly, a look of panic swelling behind her eyes. "Dalan?" She said again, shaking him harder this time, before pressing an ear to his chest, listening for a heart beat and only catching the last few fading thuds before there was an echoing silence.

Larsa watched in horror as Kira continued to say his name, over and over again as she shook him harder and harder, the volume of her voice escalating. "Dalan! Dalan!! Come on you can't do this to me!!" Kira shouted as she grabbed his shirt, tear drops falling slowly but steadily from her eyes. "Dalan!! Dalan...!" Kira took a deep breathe, her body shaking slightly as she tried in vain to hold in her tears.

It was only then that Larsa noticed Catherine standing by the door. Tears were streaming from her eyes as well, whether it be due to the shock of Old Dalan's death or whether or not she was still fuming over their earlier argument, Larsa was unsure.

They made brief eye contact before Catherine looked away from him sharply and began to wipe her tears. Larsa sighed and moved over to where Kira sat with her head rested on Old Dalan's chest, tears streaming freely from her now as she mumbled to herself, trying desperately to convince herself and maybe even Old Dalan that he was not dead.

Larsa touched Kira's shoulder. She looked up at him sharply, her eyes red and puffy and full of a sorrow and pain that hurt Larsa almost more than Old Dalan's death did. "Kira...He's gone. Old Dalan's gone." He could feel the tears building up behind his own eyes as he spoke. The fullness of the event hitting him hard. His statement had woken them both out of the dream of hope.

Kira gasped loudly when Larsa spoke and began to shake her head vigorously and suddenly shoved Larsa away from her as she screamed. She flung herself onto Old Dalan's already chilled and stiff body and began to scream. "DALAN!!!!! DALAN PLEASE!!!!!!" a bitter sob racked her body, "DA-DADDYYYYYYY!!!!!!! DADDYYY!!!!! PLEASE!!! COME BACK!! COME BACK!!! DADDYYYYYYY!!!!!" Kira's screaming became incessant and Larsa had to grab her and pull her off of her father's body quite roughly and pull her into a tight embrace even as she began to scratch and hit at him, screaming for him to let her go.

"KIRA!!!! KIRA STOP!!! Stop it!!! I'm here!! I'm Here for you!" Larsa shouted into her ears, not sure if she could hear him over her own screaming. But she'd heard him quite clearly.

"YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!??YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE HERE FOR ANYONE!!!! YOU'LL BE OFF PLAYING KING WHILE I'll BE HERE ALONE!!! COMPLETELY ALONE!! THERE'S NOTHING! NOTHING'S LEFT!!! I'VE GOT ABSOLUTE..." Kira's screaming seemed to have finally taken its toll on her vocal cords as she suddenly fell silent, her arms still flaying around as she squeezed her eyes shut and began shaking her head wildly, the clips along her pony tail flying off in random directions one by one in the chaos of her movement as she tried desperately to make up for her sudden silence.

Larsa frowned and groaned slightly as he listened to her, saddened and vexed by her choice of words and how bitterly accurate they were. He became fed up as she fell silent and began to flay around and slapped her hard across the face before pulling her into another tight embrace. "That's not the point! I'm here for you now! Right now, this very moment is what matters! Don't think about anything else! I'm here for you right now and right now is when you need me so just shut up!" he said harshly but with a caring undertone as Kira, stunned into a new, stiff silence by the resounding slap she'd received, began to relax slightly. She clung to his shirt and buried her face into his chest as she cried, sobs racking her body and tears soaking through to Larsa's skin.

The two sat there for a good five minutes as Kira cried, both her body and mind slowly relaxing as she let the fullness of the event seep into her, as she accepted the fact that her father was gone, as she tried in vain to convince herself that everything would be alright and that she could manage on her own.

Catherine stood by the door to Old Dalan's place watching them. And as she watched them, she began to understand what Old Dalan meant when he'd said that Larsa was the only one that allowed her to be selfish. She hadn't quite understood what he meant by that when he'd said it, but now she could understand. It became even more evident when Tihana appeared at the door behind Catherine.

Catherine watched her stumble into the room, Vaan and Penelo at her heels, apparently trying in vein to catch up to the tiny racer.

When Kira took notice of her little girl at the door, she began to wipe away her tears and leaned away from Larsa just as Tihana ran over to her, completely eluding Vaan once more as he reached down to pick her up, and asked if Old Dalan was going to be ok with a frightened look on her soft, young features.

Kira nearly burst into tears again but held them in and said gently as she slowly pulled Tihana into a warm hug, "No sweety, Old Dalan...Old Dalan won't be waking up this time. He's gone to sleep forever now..." Kira took a quick glance at Vaan and Penelo then and they immediately knew the girl was in good hands and they could return to keeping the peace in Low Town while everyone awaited the verdict. Vaan paused, taking a moment to mournfully observe Old Dalan's limp and lifeless form before heading out the door.

Catherine watched in awe as Kira managed to hold in her own sorrow and her own tears to allow Tihana, her surrogate daughter, to feel warm and comforted as she grieved over her grandfather's death. Catherine watched as Kira held the little girl tightly in her arms, the picture of mother and child completely flawless. She almost envied the way Kira could love and care for a being so dearly, as if Tihana were her own child. Catherine began to understand just why and how Kira managed to take care of so many people, how she could possible think of so many before she thought of herself. Kira had the biggest heart she had ever seen in her entire life, and she had to hand it to her for that.

"Mommy, what about everybody else?" Tihana said as she looked up at Kira, tears still streaming from her eyes. "are you going to tell everybody else? Is everybody going to cry? Are you going to cry mommy? Don't cry mommy. Don't cry ok?"Tihana's voice was soft and often interrupted by her soft sobbing but Kira smiled none the less.

"I'm sorry Tihana, but I have to tell everyone else. They need to know. But don't worry, mommy's strong, I won't cry. Ok?" Kira smiled at the little girl and gently touched her noise as she hiccuped slightly and nodded. Kira then turned to Larsa and said, "Hold her for me, I'll make the announcement now. No doubt everyone is wanting to know."

Larsa gave Kira a hard knowing look before she smiled slightly and said, "I'll be fine don't worry."

"You won't be fine, I am going to worry." He said firmly as he stood then took Tihana from her and helped her stand.

Kira sighed and shook her head before saying, "You can worry tonight, but right now, I am fine." Kira spoke firmly and ensured he understood what she was saying. Larsa held her gaze for a minute or two before sighing and nodding his agreement. Tihana and Catherine glanced between the two, completely lost during the exchange. Kira then made her way out the door and into the halls where almost everyone in Low Town gathered to hear the news about Old Dalan.

Larsa sighed heavily as he watched Kira walk out the door and turned to Tihana as she sat on his arm and clung to his shoulder. "Daddy, I'm going to miss grandpa..." the child looked so sad, her large crystal blue eyes shining with unshed tears, red and puffy, her cheeks flushed with the effort of keeping her tears back. Larsa sighed and rested the child's head onto his shoulder in order to comfort her as well as to remove the sight of her sadness, it was too much for him to bare at the moment.

"I know, I know, I'll miss him too sweetheart." Larsa said softly as he moved to sit in the chair by the table. He placed a soft kiss to Tihana's temple and allowed her to cry on his shoulder as he sat there holding her. Larsa took a deep breath and sighed once more before he glanced over at Catherine. Catherine seemed to have been very lonely as she stood by the door still, her eyes red and puffy, like most others with the semi-dried streams of tears running down her face, the occasional tear re-hydrating the streams.

Larsa softened his expression as he looked at her and motioned for her to come over to him. Catherine looked away from him at first, then looked to the ground, her hands balling into tight fists before she suddenly strolled over to him and stood beside him, her head still hung low and her fists still shut tight.

Larsa waited and watched. It wasn't long before she collapsed into a kneeling position beside him and rested her arms on his lap and her head in her arms as she cried once more. Neither of them were quite sure of why she was crying, whether it was due to Old Dalan's death; coming to terms with the fact that Kira was better than she was; or if it was just the vibes in the room. Larsa sighed once more as he looked over at Old Dalan, You know Dalan...it's really not fair. She's been through so much already, couldn't you wait just a bit longer? She really needs you you know?

It wasn't long before men came in to take Old Dalan's body to the morgue up stairs in the higher class regions of Rabanastre. It was then that Kira came in and announced that she would be buying the groceries and other amenities for the kids a bit later and was wondering if Larsa would be coming with her. Larsa looked up at her and marvelled at her ability to make it seem like everything was going to be ok even though everyone in Low Town was either on their own, crying in a little corner or huddled in groups as they mourned over the death of an icon.

"So you coming?" Kira asked as she stood in front of him, somewhat amused by the his current position: one girl in his arms, the other on his lap.

"Ah...I," Larsa started before he glanced down at Catherine to find her staring up at him with pleading eyes. Larsa sighed slightly and look up at Kira with a tired smile, "I don't think so."

Kira smiled and said, "fair enough... but you!" She said, suddenly pointing at Tihana as the little girl watched her from her perch on Larsa's arm. "you young one are coming with me! Alright?" Kira said as she held her hand out to Tihana. The little girl grinned and nodded her head before hopping out of Larsa's arm unto the ground and followed Kira out the door, leaving Larsa and Catherine alone in Old Dalan's House which now housed an eerie, echoing silence.

As the two of them sat there, Catherine's tears finally on hold and Larsa's eyes transfixed on a certain squared inch of wall, the silence slowly became pregnant. Catherine dared one quick glance at Larsa's face and found that he had a very thoughtful if not frustrated expression across his features, his well defined jaw tight and even more pronounced from the angle at which she was looking up at him, his graceful yet strong features taking her breath away. She had to look elsewhere. A few moments later she dared look up at him again and this time found that he seemed more pensive if not sad. Catherine wasn't sure how long she'd been staring at him before he'd finally said something.

"I'm sorry...Catherine." Larsa turned his head to look at her as he said her name and Catherine gasped slightly as she saw the pain and tiredness behind his eyes. "I'm sorry I left you. I have no excuse for my actions."

Catherine was silent for a few moments, somewhat taken aback by his sudden apology. "It...it's alright." It wasn't really, she still felt hurt by what he had done, but how could she have said that while he was looking at her the way he was.

Larsa smiled slightly and nodded to himself before glancing at his time crystal. "The hour is late, you need your rest. I'll prepare a bed for you." Catherine lifted her head from Larsa's lap and allowed him to stand then she watched him walk over to the curtain and disappear behind it.

Night had fallen and all the orphans, Larsa, Kira and (to her dismay) Catherine lay huddled together on the floor of Old Dalan's House, where at least two occupied one futon. All the orphans had loved Old Dalan and for nearly half the night the air was full of quiet sobbing and the smell of salt.

Catherine cringed and shivered as she felt someone's foot brush against her derrière and turned her head, looking for Larsa. He was right behind her and she realized that the foot that had grazed her was actually Tihana's as as she lay peacefully between her surrogate parents, her eyes closed and her breathing even. Catherine watched the little girl for a moment before she turned to look at Larsa. He wasn't sleeping. Neither was Kira. Catherine watched silently as the two stared at each other, having a seemingly silent conversation, one which she was not allowed to participate in.

Finally, it seemed the room had quieted down to a soft hush as the breeze blew in from a near by window, all the children seemed to be finally asleep while Kira and Larsa lay staring at each other still, Catherine secretly watching jealously. At last, Larsa seemed to give up the battle and sighed heavily before he closed his eyes and relaxed as his entire body seemed to deflate, sinking further into the futon.

Catherine watched as Kira watched him before she sighed as well and took hold of his wrist. Larsa looked up at her and understood as she looked away from him, tugging his arm towards her and resting her head on his forearm, her chest pressed against Tihana's back while she clung to Larsa's shirt, her face instinctively turned upwards for a better source of air. Larsa smiled slightly and wrapped an arm around her waist, understanding that she needed him at the moment. All day she'd been holding back, it was her turn now, her turn to cry and let it all out.

Kira buried her face into the crook of Larsa's neck and began to shake slightly with the effort of keeping back her sobbing as a steading flow of tears escaped from her. Larsa smiled slightly, ignoring the hot liquid now pouring into his shirt and down his collar bone, glad that Kira was finally allowing herself to be human. He blinked slightly as he felt something shift behind him and took a side glance over his shoulder and saw Catherine turning to face his back and before he knew it she was crying as well. Larsa frowned now and realized how this must look to her. He sighed slightly and decided that he'd had enough for the day, especially considering that they would have to leave for Archadia first thing in the morning tomorrow. He'd been gone a full three days now, way over the usual time. Only God himself could take a guess at what the Senate would do on account of his extended absence.

Larsa relaxed once more and closed his eyes. In response to his new relaxed state, all three girls seemed to cuddle closer to him and he had to be grateful that he was taller than all of them, other wise he'd have been suffocating by then. Larsa sighed, however, he somehow sensed that he had a long journey ahead of him.

It had almost felt as if Larsa had only blinked before Kairos, his pet red-tailed hawk whom he'd received from his father for his tenth birthday, came flying in through the open window and landed squarely on his shoulder, affectionately, yet painfully picking at Larsa's ear. Larsa groaned and looked up at Kairos for a moment before he recognized his beloved pet and tried to reach up to pet it, only to find that his left arm was not only numb to the point of being painful, but pinned down to the ground by a rather shaggy head covered in tangled red tresses. He sighed as he looked down at Kira's sleeping form and reached up to Kairos with his other arm, careful to not knock him off his shoulder.

Kairos twittered loudly and nipped at Larsa's hand before sticking out its left taloned foot. Larsa winced slightly as his bird nipped at him, likely unaware of the pain he was causing, as per usual and took notice of his outstretched foot and the piece of parchment rolled around it, tied with a thin thread.

Larsa's heart immediately began to race. The only way Kairos would've been here with a letter for him would be if he was sent by Basch. The truth was that Kairos was a very bad tempered bird and trusted very few people: Larsa, Basch and Kira, no one else could so much as touch him without getting their eyes torn out, much less to have tied a letter around his foot, and the only reason Basch would be sending him a letter rather than just waiting for him to return, would be if there was urgent bad news.

Larsa reached out to untie the knot and felt like smacking Kairos as he flapped his wings and screeched into the chilled early morning atmosphere, his joy showing off aggressively after three days without his master. Larsa finally managed to get the letter off Kairos' leg and shrugged his shoulder, waving to the window sill, instructing Kairos to fly there and stay there until he was ready for him. The bird cooperated quietly as he flew to the window sill and landed with the click of his talons on the metal sill.

Larsa opened the letter and strained to see in the dim early morning light. He was right in assuming it was from Basch as he recognized the slanted, slightly boxy and messy hand writing of his personal guard and Judge Magister.

_My Lord,_

_ I am afraid your extended absence has brought about some suspicion. The Senate members are speaking of sending out a search party for you, deciding quite on their own that your abnormally long absence is a result of your's and Miss Catherine's kidnapping. They are planning to send out a search party, starting in Rabanastre at about noon today if you do not turn up by then, and from the sounds of things, this is no ordinary search party. I have consulted my own soldiers and they tell me that it looks as if the Senate is sending an entire platoon on this "rescue mission"._

_ You must return with haste Larsa, things are getting out of hand here._

_ Basch_

Larsa read the letter twice before turning to Kira and shaking her roughly. "Huh, what? What's going..." Larsa said nothing as he shoved the letter into her hands before turning over, ignoring the prickly, needle like sensation in his left arm as he shook Catherine awake.

"Hmmmm, it's too early..." Catherine moaned as she turned away from Larsa. Larsa shook her harder and whispered to her that they had to go. Behind him, Larsa could feel Kira stand up and knew she was heading to the get their things, being the only one that could really maneuver around the sea of sleeping bodies.

"Come Catherine, we must leave now." Larsa's voice had a finality and a forcefulness to it that seemed to wake her up as she opened her eyes and stared up at him questioningly.

It was only seconds later that Kira returned with their things as Larsa was helping Catherine up and trying desperately to ensure they didn't wake Tihana. "Here." Kira said handing Larsa his bag, she then bent down and gently laid the covers of their futon over Tihana as she slept peacefully.

Larsa thanked her and took Catherine's hand leading her through the sea of sleep and then out the door before she could gather enough cognitive skills to wonder where they were going. "Larsa where are we going?"

"Back to Archadia. The Senate suspects my abnormally long absence to be a kidnapping of you and me both, the fools. They plan to send a "search party"; a rather heavily armed search party at that. I have to stop them." Larsa hadn't looked at Catherine since they began walking and seemed to be so fully focused on his destination that he failed to realize that poor, half-dazed Catherine could hardly keep up with him.

"What about Kairos?" Catherine turned and realized that Kira was also coming. She frowned slightly at the thought.

"He can find his own way back to the castle." Larsa said. Up until that point, all Larsa was thinking about was how to convince the Senate that there was no need for a search party. He'd long since come to the conclusion that he would have to inform the Senate of his secret adventures as Lamont and about Kira, but how to do that without giving them reason to hunt her down was what he was trying to discern. He however, had come to another realization as he heard Kira's voice behind him.

He did not stop walking, his pace had not changed nor had his vigor, his mind however, was now in turmoil. This was the last day he'd ever see Kira again. It hit him like a ton of bricks. It was so sudden, so cruelly timed. It was now that he should really be there for them, the orphans of Low Town, for Kira, who was now herself an orphan. But Larsa was to be King in roughly a week. He thought back to Tihana and almost wanted to turn back and kiss her one last time, but thought better of it. If he did not hurry, she'd have much more to fear than the sudden disappearance of her father.

They kept walking in silence until they reached the nearest stairwell leading up to the Streets of Rabanastre. As they began climbing the stairs, Larsa heard Kira's foot steps stop and turned to look at her. She was looking straight up at him, but she had stopped just in front of the first step.

The two of them locked eye contact for a moment before Catherine noticed they had stopped and stopped as well. Larsa looked around at her and sighed as he saw her feigned confusion and took note of the pain and jealousy lieing beneath the fake expression. "Catherine, could you give us a moment please?"

She looked utterly shocked, as if she couldn't believe he would dare to ask her that. "Please..." Larsa begged her to understand his situation. She did not, but silently agreed to give them a moment as she huffed and continued to climb the stairs out of sight.

Larsa turned back to Kira and their eyes met again. They stared at each other in a moment of awkward silence before Kira sighed and broke eye contact. "Larsa, this is the last time we see each other."

Larsa closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head slightly, still unable to fully wrap his mind around it. He'd practically lived with Kira for the past four years and now he would never see her again. "...I know..."

Kira smirked slightly and looked up at him with the most fake smile he'd ever seen her attempt. He wasn't the only having a hard time he realized. "The kids will miss you."

Larsa smiled at that and said, "I'm sure they'll be fine in your hands." Even though they were speaking of the plural, he knew she was talking about Tihana, and she knew that he meant for her to take good care of her.

"Yeah..." Kira smiled a genuine smile then. The thought of their surrogate daughter always made them smile, no matter the circumstances. Kira sighed slightly and turned to leave, her red tresses knotted and messy, yet still beautifully shiny and sleek as it swayed with her motion, the swish of red always seemed to captivate Larsa.

"Kira..." Larsa called, he sounded almost desperate. Kira stopped and half turned, half of her face hidden, the half he suspected she trusted the least. "I need to know...something." Larsa could feel his heart in his throat now, pounding away as if it wished to tear itself from his body, as if his heart no longer belonged to him.

Kira stood quietly. She was listening. Larsa took a deep breathe and looked away from her for a moment before he turned back to her and said, his voice soft and expectant, "Kira...do you love me?"

Kira visibly twitched.

Larsa watched.

She balled her hands into fists.

Larsa could just about see the myst developing around her. She was running away.

She'd answered him, however, before the spell had finished. "No." She had said. The word seemed to pass into one ear and out the other as Larsa watched her disappear before his eyes in a dazzling array of colourful swirls of myst, the familiar booming sound of the teleportation magic filling his ears. It wasn't until she was completely gone and all the myst had settled and diffused that he'd taken stock of her reply.

Larsa was in shock. He had not been expecting her to say yes, but he was completely and utterly shocked when she said no, and it surprised him how hurt he felt, how betrayed and heart broken. He inhaled sharply and shook his head, "Of course..." he said to himself. Yes, this was the way things were supposed to go. That was what he needed to hear, he needed to know that he was not needed here, he was needed in his own home, his people needed him, the Senate needed him, Catherine needed him. Larsa suddenly wondered if this was how he'd been making Catherine feel all this time and felt an instant pang of guilt rush through him. He promice himself he would make it up to her, he had to, she would be his wife in a matter of days.

Larsa sighed and shook his head, "I must put the needs of others before my own." and with that reminder, as battered and bruised as he was, he was off.

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own...everything else is MINE!!!!=P

OoOoO

Chapter 9

It was as if he was parting the Red Sea.

As soon as Larsa stepped into the castle, Basch at his side and Catherine trailing behind, any one in the hall way at the time, dropped what ever it was they were doing, whether it was mopping, wiping, washing or making out, they all stopped and stepped aside to let him through. Larsa didn't have to say a word. His employees knew him well enough to know when not to stand in his way.

Larsa stalked down the hall ways with purpose, nodding to the occasional good morning call from his devoted employees whilst still keeping pace. He didn't care if Catherine could keep up and was more hoping she could not; he had no intention of holding this meeting with her standing in the shadows. He was unsure if she was prepared to experience this side of him, he was sure she'd be pleasantly surprised at first, but she'd be rather frightened later. Most were.

"Lord Larsa, I take you are heading to address the Senate members." Basch's voice sounded from a few paces behind him. He kept up with him effortlessly, and he would be a great support for him at the moment, but what he really needed from Basch was for him to take care of Catherine while he took care of business.

"Yes I am." Larsa stopped suddenly and turned to Basch who would've been standing still, waiting for Larsa to address him, had Catherine not run straight into his back. The two men smiled at her shy apology before Larsa continued, "But Basch, what I need from you is to take her Highness to her chambers. She is tired and in need of a change of clothes. In the mean time I will speak with the Senate." Catherine looked up, somewhat surprised to hear this sudden regal tone from Larsa. She had gotten the impression that he'd forgotten how to be a prince over the passed month so this was a pleasant surprise. Part of her wanted to go to the meeting and watch him in action, but the other part of her really wanted a hot bath with scented oils and foot scrub, so she willing went with Judge Basch after he nodded his understanding to Larsa and began leading the way to her room at a , thankfully, much slower pace.

Larsa watched them walk away for a moment before continuing on his relentless trek. It wasn't long before he reached the Senate's board room. He knew they'd be in there, they were always in there, scheming about something. He knew they were up to no good but he could do nothing until he was King. Larsa stood in front of the large oaken doors and pushed hard. He never understood why the Senate's Board Room doors should be the heaviest in the Palace.

All movement had ceased once Larsa opened the doors. The Senate members seemed to have been in the middle of a heated discussion as they gazed upon Larsa as if he'd just interrupted the greatest game of 'Truth or Dare' and someone was about to spill the beans on their secret love life.

It was Senate Leader and Acting head of State, Caligula Finnegan Rossi that spoke first. "Ah, the Lord Larsa. How good of you to grace us with your presence. We were beginning to worry." there was absolutely no hint of concern in his voice which sounded more like crackers and dry bone.

Larsa bit back a smart remark and instead responded politely. "Forgive my prolonged absence gentlemen. It is unforgivable, but as you can see, I am completely unharmed, as is her Highness Catherine Rossaria. There is no need to send out a search party."

Caligula smiled, and Larsa felt his spine prickle. "Yes indeed you are safe and unharmed. I will have to call off the search party then, but why, may I ask Lord Larsa," he stressed the title, sarcasm lacing his voice. If Larsa hadn't known any better, he'd have wondered if Caligula was mocking his position. "was your usual monthly... training session," again with the sarcasm, "so...extensive this month?"

Larsa matched Caligula's stare before sighing and looking around at all of the Senate members, making sure they were all paying attention, making sure they knew he was addressing them all and that they were to shut up and listen. "I, as Prince and heir to the throne, apologize greatly. Over the course of four years, my monthly adventures were not in truth..."

"Save us the long-winded recount of your four year long escapade, your Highness," Again, the stressed sarcasm, only this time, it was another member of the Senate. "We are well aware of your secret adventures with this thief friend of yours."

Larsa looked around at them, greatly surprised that they'd found out. "We'd allowed it to go on because in truth and in fact, it kept you busy and gave you something to do other than tedious, redundant paper work all day long." Another member said, a wry smile across his face. Larsa wasn't sure what to make of his comment.

"We would rather our Prince have spunk and life... at least until he becomes King. That way, the people would still love you and a King is only a dictator if his people do not love him, are we right?" Larsa found it almost creepy the way one Senate member always seemed to speak as if the entire room was talking through him.

"Why wasn't anything said?" Larsa asked, still completely lost. He didn't understand any of what they were saying. It was just so far out of character for them, there had to be a catch.

"We've just told you Prince." Caligula spoke now, "But now these little monthly adventures of yours must stop. If that thief is found anywhere near this palace, I have ordered the guards to kill on sight. So you'd best let her know that." Larsa twitched. He knew something like this was coming, but he had to be grateful, it wasn't as bad as he'd thought. He knew, however, that Kira would never be caught by the amateur guards they had monitoring the perimeter of the Palace, she's slipped through completely unseen for a total of four years now, what makes them think she'd be caught now. But even with things as they are, Larsa knew Kira would not be foolish enough to come back to House Solidor Palace.

Larsa sighed and decided he'd had enough of their company. He'd explained himself enough for them and wished he could simply walk out the door and rid himself of their presence. However, Caligula seemed to have other plans for the Prince.

"Well, since you are here, there was another matter I wished to discuss." Caligula said, his hands folded under his chin as he looked up at Larsa from his big, high chair as if Larsa was some servant he could call to his presence whenever he wished. "As you are well aware, the preparations for yours and Miss Catherine's wedding are under way and I have spoken with King Theodor. He has enlightened me of his..." he seemed to pause for effect, or perhaps it was meant as scorn, "grand idea to reinstate the Galtean Alliance, originally created by the Dynast King, Raithwall. He suggested that the union of the heirs of Rossaria and Archadia could jump start such a grand delegation and hopefully encourage the other nation leaders to unite. Have you..."

"Yes, he has spoken to me about it." Larsa quipped dryly. He really did not like being in the Senate Board room.

"Well, as you know, Archadia has yet to send her reply on her...take on the matter. We were waiting..." Larsa was seriously beginning to feel as though Caligula needed to go back to law school and remind himself that he was only acting Head of State and that matters such as international relations were only dealt with by him if the next Heir were forever unavailable or dead.

"Archadia," Larsa put emphasis on the name. Caligula needed to be reminded that Archadia was not his charge, she was Larsa's, whether or not he is King yet. "believes that reinstating the Alliance is a brilliant idea and will take full participation. I expect to have the letter on my desk to be signed by this afternoon and I will send it to Catherine's father by my own means." Larsa finished sharply and was contemplating a polite goodbye when Caligula again interfered.

"Ah, but there is one more thing, my Prince," he seemed to take note of Larsa's frustration with being treated like a pheasant, "King Theodor also asked me to arrange a meeting with all the major nation Leaders, and in that meeting, he wishes us to discuss and decide who should take over all charge of the Alliance once formed." He paused for a moment, looking for a reaction; he received none. "He suggested you, and asked me to inquire about how you felt about this position. If the other nations agreed, would you take it?"

The way Caligula phrased the question, and the dangerous glint in his eyes made Larsa almost want to say no; he made it sound like he'd be taking on a dictatorship. Larsa thought on it for a moment. It would be a big responsibility, and a lot of work, a lot of hard work. But he was willing to do anything for his country and his people, he'd do anything for anyone in all of Ivalice. He would agree to whatever was asked of him and do his absolute best at it. "I would do anything for my people."

Caligula smiled, and again, Larsa's spine prickled. "Well then, we have good news for our Rossarian...allies." Larsa inwardly smirked and wondered how hard it was for him to choke that one out.

"If that is all gentlemen, I will be taking my leave." Larsa's patience had run out; he could no longer stand being among those hypocritical politicians. Larsa bowed his head slightly, taking bitter note that none of them had the decency to return his gesture and swiftly made his way out of the Senate board room.

Larsa sat up straight and held up the letter to read it over, examining his work. It was nearing midday and Larsa had been spending most of his time in his study trying and failing to write a letter to Kira informing her of the Galtean Alliance that was due to be reinstated at his wedding/corronation/birthday on the second of May just about a week from today. In the letter he told her that it was likely that they would be choosing him as the next Dynast King of sorts and that he had agreed to take the position were he elected. He contemplated telling her that he was secretly afraid of the position, but decided against it considering the possibility that the letter could be intercepted, all the information in the letter was bound to become public in a week anyway so there was no real danger, besides, his letters were safe once they flew with Kairos. Larsa stood by his office window and called Kairos over to him so that he could tie the letter to his foot. Kairos screeched joyously as he flew over to his master from his elaborate golden cage that could've housed five more hawks, a waste of material Larsa always thought, but it was his father who designed it for him so he could not refuse. Larsa smiled at his beloved pet and tied the letter expertly around his leg and sent him to Low Town where he suspected Kira would be trying to make everyone happy and being her usual selfless self.

He watched Kairos set off as he leaned against the windowsill; he watched him until he was completely out of sight and sighed as he dropped his head, exhaustion finally catching up to him. Larsa closed his eyes as he laid his head down on his arms and began to think. He thought about the Senate and wondered just what they were up to, if they knew full well that he had been secretly sneaking out with Kira the whole time, then why would they plan to send a whole platoon for a rescue mission? Were they really going to call it off like they said they would? But what was the reason for it in the first place, it was common knowledge that they didn't really give a damn about their prince so it certainly wasn't to find him, and it wasn't for Catherine either, so for what? Larsa sighed slightly and as he decided he didn't have the brain power to ponder it at the moment. He then though of Kira and Tihana and wondered how Kira was going to explain the sudden absence of the little girl's father. How was she going to explain to her that Lamont was in fact Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, heir to Archadian Throne and to be king in a week, married to the one she had long since deemed her 'aunt' and that she would never see him again? Larsa cringed as he felt his chest tighten, the painful truth hitting him hard. He would never see his beautiful daughter ever again, he'd never be able to hold her, kiss her or comfort her. He wondered if she would be able to understand his situation, or if she would hate him forever for leaving them in such a time of strife and suffering; he wondered if he would ever be forgiven. Larsa sniffed noisily, trying and failing to keep tears from his eyes, the tightness in his chest and throat constricting his breathing. Larsa then thought about Kira, how would she coop with all that was happening? She had just lost her father, the last of her blood relatives; she had suddenly become a single mother, she alone would have to raise Tihana, she alone would be charged with her well being and if anything were to happen to the girl, she would be blamed for it. Not to mention all the other orphans in Low Town looked up to her as well, they were all her children and she alone would be left in charge of them, Vaan and Penelo would help no doubt, but more often than not they were off being Sky Pirates or in Balfonheim. Kira was right, he had left her completely and utterly alone, she had no one to turn to when she needed a moment to just let it all out, she had no time for herself, no one to look after her while she looked after everyone else.

Larsa could no longer hold back as he felt hot tears begin to swell up behind his eyes. He let them fall as he sob quietly. He just couldn't handle it, everything that could go wrong had gone wrong, anything that could've turned in his favour went in the opposite direction. He felt like he had betrayed all those people that he'd worked so hard to protect over the past four years, he felt like he'd stabbed everyone in the back, like he'd thrown them all off to the way side and for what, just so he could get married, and become supreme ruler of all Ivalice?

Larsa mentally slapped himself and remembered that it was all a sacrifice he had to make in order to bring peace to the world. "Put the needs of others before your own..." he whispered to himself, his voice strained and hoarse. Larsa groaned loudly as he thought that betraying and hurting all the ones he cared about most in order to bring peace and harmony to the world was a rather steep price, but he mentally slapped himself again and forced himself to look at the broader picture to see into the future, after the treaty was reinstated, after he married Catherine, after he'd become King to where the world lived in a new peaceful era, where no one was hungry, where no children were crying for their mothers; a place where Kira and Tihana could live a prosperous and peaceful life.

Larsa smiled softly as he thought about it. Yes, that was what he would be working towards, that was his goal, he'd make the world a better place for them, if not for all the people of Ivalice, then for Kira and Tihana, for his family.

Larsa stopped himself and realized that he'd already acknowledged them as his new family, as if he'd already gotten married and had a child of his own. He laughed softly and sighed before he proceeded in trying and failing to pull himself out of the fantasy.

"Larsa?" Larsa was startled by the sudden sound of his name and turned to see Catherine standing by his office door, her expression worried as she gazed at him. Larsa smiled softly and began to wipe away his tears while half turning away from her.

"You're finally awake I see." Larsa said, his voice still rough, hoarse. "Did you sleep...!" Larsa was somewhat startled when he suddenly felt her small arms wrap around his waist as she hugged him tightly. "C-Catherine?"

"I'm sorry Larsa. You must be going through so much. So much happened last night and all I could do was complain and get angry and... and..." Catherine was sobbing as she clung to Larsa, tears flowing from her eyes as she apologize profusely.

Larsa stared down at her and smiled, she truly was an amazing person. Larsa should've been the one apologizing, after everything he put her through and all after he'd promiced to marry her. What kind of fiancée was he really? "Oh, Catherine, you needn't apologize. I am the one at fault. I put you through all that, how could I have expected you to be gracious and understanding under those conditions? I should've explained things properly, I neglected you and I sincerely apologize for that." Catherine looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears and a strange excitement, as if she knew what he was about to say. "You needn't worry, there is nothing between Kira and I. You are to be my wife and I give you my word that I will be faithful."

Larsa knew full well that that was indeed what Catherine was worried about, he didn't know if she completely understood the magnitude of the events of last night or if she knew how he felt about Kira and Tihana, but he knew that none of that mattered any more and what mattered now was that he was to be king in one week and that Catherine was to be his queen, and one can't possibly be a good king if your own queen, your own wife, does not trust you.

Catherine's face lit up like a bulb and Larsa forced himself to smile. It was not that he did not enjoy making her happy, he himself was just not in the state of mind to be anything but depressed at the moment. Larsa was no doubt expecting her to jump for joy and proclaim her undieing love for him, and when she did he smiled, but what came next had completely shocked him and sent his mind reeling into the abyss.

Catherine suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the lips. Larsa was so stunned that he had not figured out how to react before she broke the contact and let him go. Catherine stood beaming at him as he stared at her, dumbfounded. Catherine giggled at his cute, lost expression and hugged him tightly once again. "I love you Larsa." Larsa squeezed his eyes shut and hugged her back, desperately trying to clear his mind as notions of betrayal and feelings of guilt whirled around in his mind.

Catherine knew she was not to expect him to reply with the same message, but it still hurt her that he had said nothing in return. Catherine could feel his heart racing and wondered if it was from her kiss; she blushed slightly at the thought and grinned as she buried her face in his chest. It wasn't long before Larsa pulled away and announced that he was beyond exhausted. Catherine offered to walk him to his room and he silently agreed.

Just about half way to Larsa's bed chambers, they encountered Judge Basch. When Basch had turned the corner and saw the couple walking down the hall he stopped and watched as they came ever closer to him and he prayed silently that Larsa would some how make it out of this ordeal. Not once ever before had he seen the young lord so exhausted, emotionally and physically; the boy looked like a zombie walking the corridors of his palace. They stopped in front of him and Basch stopped Larsa before he could try to say anything coherent and said, "I'll have one of the doctors whip up a strong sleeping tonic for you, you resemble a zombie walking the halls you know that?"

Larsa gave a half hearted chuckled and a smile as Basch smiled softly at him. He had heard about Old Dalan's death through Ashe and knew exactly what must've been going through Larsa's mind and also that he most likely hardly got any sleep the previous night, so he knew full well that their young Prince needed to sleep. If he could, Basch would've put him in a coma just so that he could get the sleep he needed.

"Thank you, Basch." Larsa choked out, "I am expecting a letter from..." he stopped himself as he took a quick glance at Catherine and continued with the modified statement, "Low Town this evening or perhaps tomorrow. If I am not … available when it arrives would you please hold on to it for me?"

Basch smirked (he understood what he meant) and nodded before he bowed and headed towards the infirmary to get that sleeping tonic for Larsa.

Larsa sincerely thanked Basch and continued on his way to his room with Catherine where she left him to sleep. By the time Basch arrived with the tonic, Larsa was already cuddled into his sheets and fast asleep. Basch smiled and decided to leave the tonic on his bedside table so that he could have it later in case he woke too early considering that he had an aversion to sleeping during the day, being the generally pro-active man that he was. Basch smiled as he thought of how he could no longer refer to Larsa as a boy any more, especially with everything that he was going through and the fact that he knew Larsa would pull through it all. Larsa was going to be a great king, in fact, he already was.

Larsa first slept for maybe an hour or two before waking again to the early afternoon sun. He wasted no time in downing his tonic, however, and fell right back to sleep. He hadn't so much as twitched in his deep and thankfully dreamless sleep until the next morning when Basch walked into his room reluctantly with a rather tattered piece of paper in his hands. Basch stood beside Larsa's bed and watched him as he slept, his mind finally at peace and Basch wondered if it would be alright to let him sleep through this. But he knew that Larsa would never forgive him if he did not wake him. This was indeed an urgent matter.

Basch gently shook Larsa's shoulder and heard him groan slightly before turning over , cuddling further into the sheets. Basch smiled and almost took back the notion of no longer calling him a child for he very much resembled a toddler cuddling into the sheets of his parents' bed at the moment. Basch sighed however and shook him harder. "Mi Lord, there is urgent news from Rabanastre."

Basch's firm voice seemed to have woken the prince as he groaned and sat up while rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked up at Basch with the cutest expression of confusion and said, "News...? What news?"

Basch handed him the letter and said, "It came just now from Vaan and Penelo. At first I was going to wait for you to wake before I gave it to you, but when I read it knew you would want to see it as soon as possible."

Larsa gave Basch a questioning side glance, his mind still foggy, unable to think of any news that was so urgent that he would have to be woken up for it. Larsa huffed slightly and looked at the letter for a moment and waited for his eye to focus before he began reading it.

_Larsa it's chaos here in Low Town! Yesterday Archadian soldiers invaded Low Town, claiming that they were looking for something. They spent most of their time in the South Sprawl near by Old Dalan's place. They're gone now but Lady Ashe is livid. She's sent a letter to the Senate demanding to know what's going on, why she wasn't given a heads up and why they sent a platoon! It's almost as if the war were still going on! It's crazy! The kids are scared and Kira's no where to be found! What the hell is going on over there? What's the Senate thinking?! You have to do something!_

_Vaan, Penelo_

Larsa read the letter twice before he looked up at Basch for confirmation, as if he couldn't believe what he was reading. Basch looked back at him and said, "I thought that it would be best if you were the one to approach the Senate on the matter."

Larsa's expression hardened and he shot out of bed and headed straight for his drawer and began putting on his clothes over his under shirt and boxers he'd been sleeping quite peacefully in before he began speaking, "I will address the Senate on the matter. I need to get to the bottom of this. They've been scheming for weeks and now they've gone too far, or am I just too late...?" Larsa pondered allowed as he buckled his belt and tied his shoes.

"I believe that the Senate members have indeed planned something and that this plan of theirs just might be under way. I regret, however, that I haven't the faintest idea what they're planning or for what purpose." Basch said as he followed Larsa out of his bed chambers.

"Well whatever it is I doubt that it's anything good. Old Dalan constantly warned me about the Senate...i wonder if he'd known anything..." Larsa thought aloud as he pondered on the many times Old Dalan had dragged him off to a corner to let him know that there was something fishy about the Archadian Senate members, especially the Acting Head of State, Caligula Rossi.

When they reached the Senate's Board room, Larsa ordered Basch to stay behind before he violently shoved the door open and waltzed in without so much as a good morning to any of the slightly startled members of Senate. Larsa walked into the room with a vexed expression that only deepened as he looked at all their faces.

When Larsa locked eyes with Rossi, he felt a chill go down his spine as he watched him smile knowingly. Rossi knew exactly why Larsa was here so early in the morning and Larsa had a sickening feeling that Rossi was having fun with this whole affair.

"Ah, Lord Larsa, how good of you to visit us once again. Heard you had a nice nap..."

"What do you think you're doing Rossi?!" Larsa was quite obviously not in the mood for small talk. Rossi leaned back in his chair slightly, somewhat surprised by the Prince's forcefulness and mentally reminded himself that Larsa was indeed a formidable foe.

"I am terribly sorry Prince, I am not sure I know what you are talking about." Rossi said calmly.

Larsa took a deep breath. He would not allow Rossi to get under his skin. "You said to me that you would call off the search party, and yet this morning I hear that Rabanastre, Low Town has been raided by my soldiers." Larsa was quite obviously livid but his voice was smooth and barely raised in volume.

Rossi feigned a hurt expression and replied, "Raided? I dear say young Prince, I do not know of this raid of which you speak, I sent a few of my guards on a search mission. It was nothing more than that."

"And does a few of your guards equate to a platoon of heavily armed soldiers? You knew full well that the Lady Catherine and I were safe here in the palace. What is that you were searching for so desperately in Rabanastre?" Larsa asked, his voice quivering slightly with the effort of keeping it level.

"Oh that is none of your concern my dear Prince. In time you will know." Rossi smiled wryly at Larsa and watched as a fire behind the young man's eyes blazed with anger, oh how he knew to push the young Lord's buttons.

Larsa's hands balled into fists as he took a few deep breathes before replying, trying desperately to keep his cool. "Sir Rossi....this is more my concern than you would want to believe. I am in charge of international relations whether or not I am King, you know that, and with this...disturbance caused by our soldiers on Dalmascan soil, you have jeopardized our chance at reinstating the Galtean Alliance with Dalmasca. The Lady Ashe, I know for a fact, is far from pleased with these latest events and I am aware that she has sent a letter."

"And we have already replied with our most humble apologies to her highness. We have explained that we were only in search of something of great important to us that we had...lost so to speak and that we are terribly sorry for the disturbance it caused." Rossi said flatly.

"Disturbance?!" Larsa could feel his self control slowly slipping, his anger bubbling to the surface. "Your soldiers reeked havoc in Low Town! There have been...."

"Now now young Prince, you needn't worry about any of this. You just worry about your up coming wedding and corronation. It is only six days from now is it not?"

Larsa stared incredulously at Rossi for a moment before, "That is not of importance at the mom..."

"Come now, you are only what, sixteen going on seventeen. In your youth you shouldn't be so worried over such matters and just to show you how gracious and caring we are, the Senate has decided to relieve you of your duties as head of International Relations." Larsa felt his jaw unhinge and fall to the ground. "Sir Mannings will be taking up your charge." one of the Senate members bowed his head and grinned maliciously, "You just focus on your future young Prince, all of Ivalice is depending on you." Rossi smiled widely, mockingly.

Larsa was stunned, he couldn't believe it. Rossi didn't have that sort of authority...or did he. Larsa quickly riffled through his archives, all the laws and regulations and he knew immediately that he'd been beaten. There was one law in particular that stated that a King had every right to change, remove or add a law to the system as long as he had got a unanimous 'ok' from the Senate Board members. And as Acting Head of State, Caligula also had that right, and there was no doubt in Larsa's mind that the Senate members all agreed to this sudden, ridiculous change in law. Larsa could do nothing, he knew it.

The Senate members all watched Larsa as he seethed, they all knew that he knew that they were planning something, but they also knew that he could do nothing to stop them, and they reveled in the fact. Larsa groaned under his breath and stumped out of the Senate board room, slamming the door behind him.

When Basch saw Larsa storm out of the Senate Board room, he immediately knew that there was bad news. Basch followed Larsa down the hall and waited for him to calm down enough to start talking. Larsa groaned loudly and stopped walking before he turned around to Basch, "They've relieved me of my position as Head of International Relations. That bastards taking advantage of Archadian laws and regulations, making a mockery of our system. I can't do anything!" Larsa thumped his fist hard against the wall and huffed loudly, trying to calm himself down.

Basch stood beside him and said, "Listen Larsa, right now what you need to focus on is your up coming corronation. Once you are king then Rossi will have virtually no power at all."

"And that's what bothers me! That's exactly what he told me. Focus on becoming King, but he seems to be completely fearless about it. Once I am in power then he'll be in deep trouble, but he's acting like we're preparing for a party! He's up to something, and I just feel so vulnerable not knowing anything." Larsa said angrily as he looked up at Basch.

Basch sighed and realized that he was right. Rossi was definitely up to something, something that most likely had to do with Larsa and the throne. Basch folded his arms and looked at Larsa seriously and said, "So what will you do then?"

Larsa pondered the question for a moment before he said, "First I need to speak with the Lady Ashe and let her know that I have virtually no power and that the Senate is up to something. We'll all have to be on guard from now on. I'll go to Rabanastre tomorrow morning, no doubt Catherine will expect me to spend the day with her today considering is slept most of yesterday. I owe her a great deal, after all that I put her through..." Larsa sighed and ran a hand over his face then through his hair. He felt Basch put a firm but comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled up at his guardian, greatly appreciating his attempt at comforting him. "Well, Judge Basch, thank you for accompanying me this morning, but I think it best I find Catherine on my own. I'm sure you have other duties to attend to as well." Larsa said politely and Basch smiled before he nodded, then bowed and began down the hall. Larsa sighed and began his search for his fiancée.

Larsa reached into his pocket and pulled out a pear of crystal earrings, the very earrings Catherine had begged him to buy for her a month prior. He smiled as he looked at them and placed them back into his pocket hoping that she would like the gift he had in store for her.

Larsa woke early the next morning and got dressed after a long, hot, relaxing bath. He made for Catherine's bedroom where he woke her gently to let her know that they would be leaving for Rabanastre in half an hour and that she needed to be ready by then if she wanted to come along. Larsa smiled as he watched her fumble about and felt a certain pride and joy as he noticed that she was still wearing the earrings he'd bought for her.

He exited her room to give her some privacy and headed down to the Aerodome after kindly asking a passing guard to escort the Lady Catherine to the Aerodome when she was ready. He gave Basch a warm good morning as he met him in the lounge.

"Good morning your Highness." Basch said giving a shallow bow, formalities for the image they called it. "Your ship is ready and waiting. Is the Lady Catherine coming as well?"

"Yes, I believe she'll be down soon." Larsa said with a soft apologetic smile as Basch sighed, no doubt he would have to escort her around town while Larsa spoke with the Lady Ashe, and Larsa knew that Basch was not fond of baby sitting.

It didn't take long for them to arrive in Rabanastre and when they did Larsa told Catherine that she would be spending the time with Basch while Larsa spoke with Lady Ashe. She, of course, was not happy with the news, but Larsa begged her to understand. Catherine eventually gave into her prince's wishes and complied. The three of them, flanked by an escort of Rabanastran High Guard, walked together up to the Royal palace. There Basch and Catherine stayed behind while Larsa was lead up to Lady Ashe's office.

Larsa waited patiently as one of the three guards wrapped three times on Lady Ashe's office door and announced his presence. He smiled upon hearing Ashe's voice from behind the door as she ordered them inside, it had been quite a long time since they had seen each other. The Rabanastran Guard opened the door for him and bowed graciously. Larsa thanked the man kindly and walked into the room.

Ashe smiled as she looked up at Larsa, it really had been a long time since she had seen him last. She of course knew of all his past...endeavors and was proud of him to say the least, he had grown to know the difference between what was right and what was 'proper' and choose to do what was right. "Larsa, it's been a long time since we last saw each other, how are you?"

Larsa repaid the smile, "Things could be worse, but honestly I can't see how.," He said as he took the seat she offered him in front of her desk behind which she sat, the desk itself was strewn with papers and envelopes and pens, one elaborate crystal paper weight sat on top of a messy pile of papers that threatened to tumble off the edge of the desk if disturbed.

Ashe sighed and said while placing her elbows on the desk, her fingers interlocked and under her chin, "I can see that. Have you any idea what that Rossi is thinking? Any idea what it is that they've lost?"

Larsa sighed and shook his head slightly. "I haven't the foggiest. Basch and I believe that the Senate members have planned something and we fear that that plan may already be underway. I believe that whatever it is he has planned, it is likely that he hopes it'll end with him on the throne, considering the way he keeps casting me off to the way side, but he is underestimating his opponent." Larsa said, his tone dark and heavy.

Ashe nodded, "Yes, it is true that Rossi has a certain taste for power. They all do, those bitter old fools of the Senate. Larsa, may I ask, when you become King,"she paused for a moment, "would you disassemble the Archadian Senate?"

Larsa blinked. He wasn't expecting that question and he didn't know how to reply. He thought deeply about it. It would make sense yes, in previous generations, the Senate was a great help to the King, but that was when the Senate was full of good, honest people who served their country, now it was full of old, conniving, evil men who only wanted power. Larsa nodded slightly and but then frowned and said, "I am not sure if would have that power. Even as King, the Senate still holds a great deal of authority. It may require a vote among the people or at least among the high standing bureaucrats...but yes, I would do it if I could. They have become a burden on our nation. We could do without them."

Ashe smiled slightly at him and said, "It still amazes me. You who are just barely a man and yet you speak like the Dynast King himself. You will be a great leader some day." Larsa blushed slightly at her sudden compliment.

He sighed and scratched the back of his head, "Ah, but I'll admit that I wish that day was not so close at hand." Ashe laughed at him and shook her head slightly.

"You have good friends Larsa, you'll do just fine." Larsa blushed slightly again. "By the way, I believe congratulations are in order."

Larsa blinked at her for a moment and then blushed slightly as she winked at him, understanding what she was talking about. He sighed slightly and nodded. Ashe watched him and smirked, "So, it's that sort of wedding is it?"

Larsa looked up at her sharply and said, "No, no its not that, it's just..." Larsa didn't know what to say. He knew he should've been smiling and blushing, but, the subject some how made him a bit sad.

Ashe sighed as she watched him and smiled before saying, "Kira...right?" Larsa looked away from her, hating how women had such good intuition. Ashe smiled at him and said, "Don't worry about her, she completely understands I'm sure."

"You know Kira?" Larsa asked, not sure he understood how she knew so much.

"Well of course I do, how do you think she gets a way with some of the things she does to get money?" Larsa smiled and then chuckled. It was true, sometimes he really had to wonder how Kira got by scotch free from some of the heists she pulled. It wasn't from the House Solidor Palace alone that she stole from, and when he'd found that out he was quite stunned. It turned out that she stole from many different places during the time which they did not see each other, places including, Balfonheim Palace, the Lhusu Mines, Bhujerba's Royal Palace, Nalbina Fortress and even the Royal Palace of Dalmasca.

"The truth is though, I am in great debt to her. She can reach the places that I cannot just yet. Low town has been a real problem since the war. People who insist on living down there, especially those that actually grew up there, it's hard to get them supplies when the economy up top is still bad due to the war. Simple things like clean water and clothes, the Garam Scythe water way still full of dangerous monsters so its impossible to get men down there to fix things up so that we can have a steady flow of clean water and prices have gone sky high, everything has just been out of whack since the war. I've been able to make good head way on the economy since but things are still bad. So to have someone like Kira on your side, working to keep things going, and to keep people happy; she's a true blessing really." Larsa could see that Ashe was truly proud of Kira and that she very much admired her even though she herself was someone very much worth admiring.

Larsa smiled and said, "I know what you mean. She has been the saving grace for those in Old Archades as well. Once I am King I will most definitely do something about that place. It is a shame and another blight on our history." Ashe nodded her agreement, having seen the hellish place with her own eyes many times before during her travels in the war.

There was a heavy silence between them. The mood of the conversation impregnating the silence with an ominous aura. Ashe decided to change the subject. "Would you like to stay for lunch?"

Larsa looked up at her and smiled before shaking his head, "No, actually, I was thinking to pay Vaan and Penelo a visit...perhaps I'll see Kira along the way..." The thought excited him in a way he would never have imagined but he shot down the feelings and decided to remain calm and together.

Ashe smirked and said, "Now young one, be careful, you're getting married in a couple of days aren't you?" Larsa gave Ashe a pointed look that made her laugh before he stood up slowly and thanked her for her time. Ashe escorted Larsa to the door, a playful smirk still splayed across her features as she waved goodbye.

Larsa sighed as he made his way out of the Royal place, dismissing his escorts as soon as he was into the streets of Rabanastre. He looked around and wondered where Catherine and Basch might be. As he thought about the places they might possibly be in, his mind drifted to where he might find Kira. The thought of accidentally bucking her up in a random shop made his heart race and he shook his head vigorously to get the thoughts out of his head.

Larsa huffed and decided he would go pay a visit to Migelo. To his surprise and relief that was where he found Catherine and Basch as well. As Larsa opened the door, he heard a familiar voice call his same and he steeled himself for the impact he knew was coming. He grunted slightly as Catherine crashed into his middle, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she embraced her fiancée.

"I missed you! How did it go?" she looked up at him and immediately let go when she realized that he could not breath.

Larsa huffed slightly, trying to regain his breath as he silently wondered why it was that Catherine only ever had this much strength when she was hugging him. After catching his breath he looked over at Basch who looked quite amused and grimaced before saying, "Lady Ashe is as much in the dark as we are."

Basch nodded, his smile still in place, and said, "Are you planning to go down to Low Town before we leave?"

"Yes, I want to have a word with Vaan and Penelo. I want to know exactly what happened." Larsa said looking fierce. Catherine wondered just what was going on. She had been wondering why they had come to Rabanastre and figured it was just a friendly meeting between too nation leaders but now it appeared to her that there was something wrong.

"Larsa, what's going?" Larsa looked over at Catherine and sighed, wondering if he should tell her.

"Come, let's walk and talk." Larsa said as he took her hand and lead her out of the shop, signalling for Basch to follow. "Two days ago, the day after Old Dalan's death, the Archadian Senate sent a platoon of soldiers into Low Town in search of something. We do not know what it is that they were searching for but I have reason to believe that they are planning something. Possibly something that will end with Rossi, the current Acting Head of State, on the throne." Basch took a glance at Larsa with a somewhat alarmed expression and Larsa returned his gaze, "It is all speculation of course, but I know that I can't be too careful around them." Larsa looked down to see Catherine's worried expression and said with a soft, reassuring smile, "But no need to worry, Rossi is underestimating his opponent."

Catherine smiled slightly at him before saying, "But for what reason would he not want you on the throne? You were born to rule Archadia, father even thinks that you should rule over the Galtean Alliance like King Raithwall did."

"And that is exactly why Rossi wants my position. Rossi is a power hungry man who I suspect would do just about anything to gain power, and if he has an opportunity to gain power over all of Ivalice, I am sure, without a doubt he would take it. I just don't know how." Larsa said. The more he talked about it the more it made sense. Rossi and the Senate members were planning to over throw him.

"But then...if that is indeed their goal, then why involve Dalmasca?" Basch asked. Larsa looked over at him and sighed. Yes, that was the thorn in his side. He couldn't possibly imagine why they would need to involve Dalmasca in all of this if all they wanted was to over throw their Prince. As much as Larsa hated to admit it, in his current state, that wouldn't be very hard for the Senate. "If Rossi was really looking to over throw you and take control then he would've done it by now would he not?" Basch said.

Larsa thought about it and shook his head, "No, he would wait until after the treaty is signed. He would wait until all the chips were on the table, then he'd grab it and cash them all in. He's waiting until I take control of the Galtean Alliance before he strikes."

By then they had reached the south gate and were heading down to Low Town through the stair well. Larsa looked around for someone that might've been able to point him in the right direction to find Kira...no Vaan and Penelo. Larsa shook his head and reminded himself that he was trying to find Vaan and Penelo so that he could try to find clues about what the Senate was planning. It wasn't long before Larsa spotted Kytes and smiled.

"Kytes!" Larsa called as he hopped down the rest of the stares towards his friend.

"Lamont! Dude, wasn't expecting to see you back so early, what's up?" Kytes said with his usual energy.

Larsa smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "Hey, any idea where I can find Vaan and Penelo?"

"Ah, yeah they should be around here somewhere I think they're on the other side of the South Sprawl."

"Thanks." Larsa said with a smile as he quickly hugged his orphan friend and made his way back to Catherine and Basch where they waited just by the stair well.

"They're in the opposite side of the South Sprawl." Larsa said to Basch as they began to walk. They walked in silence, Larsa and Basch occasionally waving and saying hi to random people, but the South Sprawl was eerily empty, almost as if Old Dalan's ghost haunted it's walls and people were afraid to get too close. The air around the place was heavy and sad, the few people they passed giving half hearted greetings and hardly saying a word. Kytes' energy was in complete contrast to everyone else and Larsa had to smile as he realized that Kytes had learned from the best.

Larsa then began to wonder, again, where Kira might be. He was actually surprised that he had yet to meet her. He was sure that word of his presence would've reached her by now and she herself would've come to greet him, or was she upset with him? Was she angry that he'd left? Did she not care about him any more? Larsa mentally slapped himself and told himself to stop thinking like that and focus on the matters at hand.

It wasn't long before they reached the other side of the South Sprawl and when the walked out into the large open hall where Larsa suspected Vaan and Penelo might be, the apple of his eye came and lit up his world like a florescent bulb in the dark.

Larsa felt his lips stretch themselves across his face as he watched her bound across the room towards him, her hair bouncing and blowing in wind, her eyes bright and shining. Larsa laughed out as he picked her up and twirled her around before hugging her tightly, her laughter peeling out and echoing in the hall. He never imagined he would've missed her so much after just two days.

"Daddyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!" Tihana screeched joyously as he spun her around and hugged her. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and squeezed tightly, almost choking her surrogate father. Tihana let go then and leaned away so that she could look up at her father and said, "Daddy, Tihana missed you sooooooo much!! Where'd you go?!"

Larsa had to laugh at the girls cuteness and simply said, "Daddy just went out for a bit that's all."

"...ok" Tihana said cutely. She looked like she was about to say something else when Vaan and Penelo suddenly appeared before them.

"Lamont! You got our letter then?" Vaan said and Larsa noticed that he looked rather tired with dark bags under his eyes and his stance seemed...heavy almost.

"Yes I did." Larsa said, his tone becoming serious. He looked down at the bundle of cuteness in his arms and then over at Catherine who had been standing a little ways off. "Catherine, take care of Tihana for me while I talk to Vaan."

Catherine smiled and took the little girl from him as he walked over to her, "Sure. Hi Tihana, do you remember me?"

The little girl smiled brightly and nodded, "Uh huh!! Hey Aunty Catherine, have you seen my mommy?" Catherine glanced down at the girl with a quirked brow and shook her head before she looked over at Basch to see if he'd heard. He hadn't, he was speaking with Penelo a little ways off and Larsa was talking to Vaan.

"I'm sorry, we only just came we haven't seen...her yet." It was then that Catherine realized that there was a high possibility that they might see Kira today, and she prayed silently that they wouldn't, fearing what Kira might do if she saw Larsa.

"So they just came and left?" Larsa asked, his arms folded and his expression thoughtful.

"Yeah, it was weird, scary, but weird. They came in loaded with armor, bomb rushed the place but they didn't hurt any body and then just took off. One person says that they saw one of them go to the morgue up top and when he came back they left. Not sure what to make of it all but, it's a bit scary. You have any idea what's going on? No doubt this has nothing to do with you..." Vaan said nervously, after everything that had happened, he was just sort of on edge.

"No, I'm as much in the dark as you are, all I know is that the Senate is up to something, something along the lines of a coup d'etat but I'm not sure what they would want with Dalmasca if it is a coup d'etat, so I really don't have any idea what they're planning." Larsa said. He watched Vaan nod and shifted his stance slightly. He wanted to ask...he needed to know, he was getting very worried, he just couldn't understand why he hadn't seen her yet. "Vaan..." Vaan looked at Larsa at the sudden sound of his name. "Where's Kira?"

Vaan frowned suddenly and sighed before saying, "I was hoping you could tell me. She's been gone ever since the night Old Dalan died. Last time anyone saw her was when all the orphans were going to bed in Old Dalan's place. Poor Tihana woke up and both her parents were gone. She came running to us and we've been looking for her ever since. We knew you'd be gone, but I'm a bit worried about Kira. Any ideas?"

Larsa stood staring at Vaan for a moment, his mouth agape. Kira was gone? How? Why? That can't be right. Kira wouldn't have just disappeared and not return at a time like this. Larsa thought back to the morning after Old Dalan's death. He remembered her teleporting away as she told him that she didn't love him and he began to wonder if it was his fault. Where did she teleport to after he'd asked her that question? Had he driven her away? Was it all his fault?

"Larsa?!" Larsa looked up suddenly at the sound of his real name to find that Vaan had been trying in vain to get his attention. "I was asking if you had any idea where Kira would be."

"No... no I don't know...." Larsa said slowly, guilt washing over him in waves as he pondered on why Kira was no where to be found, and where she could be.

"Larsa, where ever Kira is, I'm sure she's fine. I don't know why she hasn't returned but whatever it is, it's not your fault." Basch said, suddenly appearing beside him as he placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

Larsa looked up at him and shook his head slightly, "We have to find her." his voice came out firmer than he'd thought it would.

"No, Larsa, you can't, you don't have that sort of luxury any more. The leaders of your country are plotting against you, I know how important Kira is to you, but Archadia needs you right now. Kira will be fine, if anything, she's probably just out on a hunt who knows." Penelo said as she stood beside Vaan, Basch having apparently filled her in on the little details they knew about the recent happenings.

Larsa sighed and looked away from them for a moment before he noticed that Tihana was now suddenly running towards him, having some how escaped Catherine's hold. He turned to face her and picked her up when she'd reached him and smiled at her. His smile fell just as quickly however when she'd asked, "Daddy, where's mommy? You know don't you?"

Larsa sighed and looked away from his daughter for a moment, getting a glimpse of the sympathetic expressions on Basch's, Vaan's and Penelo's faces. "No sweety, I'm afraid that I don't. I'm sure she's fine though, where ever she is." Tihana pouted and rested her head on her fathers shoulder. Larsa huffed slightly, not liking that his daughter was sad and that he could do nothing to cheer her up. In fact, to make matters worse, he would now have to make her even more sad as Basch silently let him know that it was about time they got back, before the Senate decided that he'd been gone for too long. Larsa looked over at Tihana and said, "Tia, honey," She looked up at him, "I have to leave now sweety, but I'll be back I promice." he added on quickly as he saw the sour look on her face.

"Next month?" Tihana said bitterly. Larsa sweat dropped and sighed before he gently kissed the little girl's forehead.

"You tell mommy that I came by alright. If you see her before Vaan and Penelo, then you tell her I said to go talk to them ok?" Larsa said to her, he wouldn't continue about coming back, he didn't want to lie any more.

Tihana frowned again and huffed before she nodded her head and said, "Yes daddy..." Larsa smiled at his cute little girl and kissed her forehead one last time before he put her down.

"Alright, let's go before the Senate comes up with another reason to do something stupid on account of my absence." Larsa said, giving Tihana one last hug, praying silently that he'd be allowed to see her again once this was all over. His prayers would not be answered.

OoOoO

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own...everything else is MINE!!!! =P

OoOoO

Chapter 10

Kira felt herself being deposited on a hard dirt floor, her knees buckling under her as she fell to her knees. Kira hiccuped slightly as she forced herself to stay up, using her arms to prop her up off the ground as she tried desperately to calm herself.

Never before had she felt such inner turmoil. She had long since known that this day would come, the day when she and Larsa would have to say good bye forever, but she would never have imagined it would hurt so much. Kira felt tears building up behind her eyes as the tightness in her chest worsened. She heard herself sob a dry hoarse sob that burned her throat and felt the tears finally begin to poor from her as she cried, her emotions running high, chaos in her mind, an unfathomable pain in her chest, her heart racing as her entire body trembled.

Why did he have to ask that question? For what reason, what was he expecting to hear? What did he want to hear? It hurt so much that she'd had to say good bye like that. It hurt so much that she'd had to say goodbye any at all, especially now. It was now that she would need him. Kira needed Larsa more than ever right now. Old Dalan, her father and last blood relative was dead. All of Low Town would now look to her, whether it was physical, mental or emotional support that people used to get from Old Dalan, they would turn to her for it. How was she, a mere sixteen year old girl supposed provide all that for the people of Low Town, plus all the people she already cared for all over Ivalice? Kira hiccuped slightly as she thought of the pressure, how hard things were going to be from now on. People would look to her to be their light in times of darkness, but how was she to be the light for everyone else whilst she herself was lost in the shadows, stripped of everything she once held dear?

Kira felt her chest tighten further as her mind raced. How was she to coop? How could they expect her to handle everything that has happened? The death of her father, separation from her long time friend, ally, confidant, supporter...the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Larsa was everything to her. He was everything she'd ever needed and more, she grown to understand and trust him, to know that he was there to support her when she needed it. But now that he was gone... she was lost. She had no one to tell her that things would be ok, or to tell her to stop deluding herself and face the fact that she was screwed. How was she to coop without him, especially now that she was struggling through the emotional trauma of losing her father.

Kira cried as she thought of Larsa, of how she'd never see him or talk to him again, of how he was due to get married in a couple of days, of how he'd most likely forget all about her as he ruled over his country, his beautiful wife by his side, supporting him like she wished he was her at the moment. Kira cried for longer than she could remember and suddenly woke to the warm feeling of the afternoon sun on her face.

She sat up suddenly, realizing with a shock that she'd cried herself to sleep and had been sleeping since morning 'til noon it seemed. Kira rubbed the sleep and dried tears form her eyes before she looked around, finally taking stock of where she was.

Kira looked around at the dirt covered concrete floor, the one and two trees that stood in full bloom, flowers glowing brightly in the afternoon sun as if trying to cheer her up, ancient architecture stripped of its once vibrant colour by time and weather and finally the towering structure of fantastic proportions and brilliant architecture that she immediately recognized as the Pharos of Ridorana.

Kira was on the Ridorana Cataract and she had absolutely no idea why. She was quite alone, not a monster in sight, which she found to be rather odd considering her whereabouts, but she was grateful either way. She stood up slowly and stretched out her lazy muscles before taking a closer look at where she was. Upon further inspection, she realized that this was the place where she, Larsa and Catherine had been running from that supposed rank III mark and fell through the floor. She walked over to the whole and looked down. It was deep, very deep and narrow, as if someone had dug out a well and then covered it back up before they fell through it.

Kira contemplating going down there to check it out but decided against it as she took another look at the depth of the hole. She stood akimbo and looked around her again, as if looking for whatever might've drawn her there in the first place. She remember how she'd gotten there and why and frowned. She shook her head and decided that she shouldn't dwell on it.

After inspecting the area a third time, Kira sighed and decided that she might as well return to Low Town. She stuck her hand into her pocket and felt around for any teleport stones, she stopped however and decided that she might as well just make her way to the teleport crystal on the Ridorana Cataract. As she began to walk in the direction she thought she remembered the crystal being, she noticed a tree a little ways to her left, that at a glance, she swore had a key hole.

Kira stopped and looked over at the tree for a moment before she made her way over to it to further inspect the strange marking on the tree. When she come close enough, Kira realized with a jolt that it was indeed a key hole in the unnaturally straight bark of the tree. She traced the outline of the key hole with her fingers and suddenly got a crazy idea.

Kira took out the big old brass key that Old Dalan had given to her and tried to fit it into the key hole. She smiled widely when she felt the key slip in quite easily and wondered slightly if Old Dalan could some how see into the future. It wouldn't really surprise her if he could considering some of the things he could "guess".

Kira licked her lips nervously, feeling an ominous aura coming from the tree as she slowly turned the key. She listened as she heard seven strange wooden clicks in quick succession before a rectangular shaped piece of the bark suddenly popped out of the tree. Kira stared at it for a moment, then took quick glances around her as if to make sure no one was watching before she gingerly slid the rectangular shaped wooden box out of the tree.

When the box had come out completely she looked at it for a while, trying to figure out how to open it. She turned it over and looked at all the side at least three times in search for some sort of opening, a seam, a lock, another key hole, anything, but she found nothing. It was a cube of seamless wood. Kira frowned and sighed resting her wrist a little and letting the box sort of hang from her fingers. It was then that she saw it. The way the light glimmered off it. Kira took the box and lifted it up to her face as she moved into the sun and noticed that there was the faintest outline of a hand print on the top of the box, much like the one she saw on the door under the Pharos when they'd fallen through the floor running from that mark.

Kira looked around her again, not entirely sure why she was doing it herself and slowly placed her hand over the imprint and gasped as a flash of light erupted form under her hand. She then felt the wooden beneath her hand burn suddenly and quickly removed her hand as she watched, completely amazed as an inch of wood was burned off the top of the box, leaving the rest of the box unscathed, not even smoke was allowed to mar the surface of the rest of the box as it opened.

Inside was hollow and strangely white with a small rolled up piece of parchment taking up no more than five percent of the space in the box. Kira took out the piece of paper and put down the box gently, reverently before unfurling the paper and reading what was written inside.

_When the time is ripe, let it fall, it shall guide you._

Kira read it twice before sitting down under the tree, taking a moment to retrieve the key from its key hole. She read the note again, and again, and again, trying to understand what it all meant. Kira sighed and stared up at the tree above her. "Only when the time is ripe...what is that supposed to meant? Old Dalan said it too. Ripe...why ripe and not right?" Kira pouted and search the sky through the tree branches hoping that she would find the answer in the dwindling clouds somewhere. It was then that she took notice of a dieing flower on the end of a branch and she remembered that Old Dalan had told her once that when you see the flowers dieing, that means that Spring is ending and Summer is approaching, hence, there would be free fruits to pick.

"That's it!" Kira smiled widely as she made sense of the short riddle. She jumped up and picked one of the flowers. "I know this flower, the seed of its fruit has natural veins of Magicite running through it, making it magnetic. So if I were to drop the seed then maybe it would lead me north or south or something, hence, 'Let it fall, it shall guide you.'" Kira smiled broadly as she marvelled at her own genius, then looked up at the tree and the ones around it and realized that none of the trees bore any fruit yet. Kira huffed as she heard the distinct sound of her bubble being popped ruthlessly.

She looked around at the flowers on the tree in front of her and realized that some of them were dieing and looked as if they would shrivel up and fall off in a couple of days if so much, which meant that the fruit was in development, so pretty soon she'd be able to see where the riddle was leading her.

Kira laughed slightly as she realized how childish she was being, going on this adventure, hunting for clues and solving riddles, it was all fun and games but did she have the time or the luxury for that right now. Kira thought hard on her situation. Everyone in Low Town was in mourning, things would be rather dreary there and she'd recently made an awesome kill on a long standing mark and got a handsome reward for it that could last at least a week, so she really wasn't needed much in Low Town at the moment. She remembered the letter from Basch that morning about the Senate sending a 'search party' to Low Town and figured that Larsa would have everything under control by now, considering that it was already past noon, he'd probably already spoken to them about it and told them to hold it off, no one but them knew about it so there was no chance of news spreading and causing a panic, so everything was okay. Her greatest and only worry was Tihana, but the little girl knew her surrogate mother and father and would understand if they both disappeared for a couple days, she wouldn't be happy, but she wouldn't hold it against them. Kira thought of how she deserved a break, a vacation to just unwind and de-stress before she could go back to being the back bone of the community, so why not take it now, why not just go all out and have fun, take her mind off things, go wild, have an adventure? Kira smiled to herself and nodded as she decided that Low Town and anywhere else that she had a hand in could do without her for a couple of days.

Kira then decided that she would take her time exploring the Pharos, going straight up to the top and then maybe back down in order to give the fruits time to bare. She checked her supplies, she had none. Kira sighed and shook her head, all she had on her was a couple of throwing knives and the dagger she always kept tucked away...well, somewhere, she would never tell anyone where it was, not even Larsa, just for the fun of having a secret and the element of surprise of course. Kira smiled wryly however and said to herself as she took out her dagger, "Well, I suppose this just makes it all the more fun."

It took Kira a full two days and a half to reach the top of the Pharos where the Sun Cryst once sat over looking the sea and the great water fall that no one bothered to name. She stood there, staring out at the as she stood high, high above ground level, the sea breeze unable to reach her at that height. She breezed in the fresh, but somehow suffocating high altitude air and stretched. She felt good. Aside from dieing of hunger and being heavily loaded with loot, Kira felt quite refreshed and alive. It had been a long time since she'd just gone out on her own to just go wild and wonder about, it was refreshing to not have anything to think about, to not wonder if anyone needed her at the moment, to not be planning her next hunt or how next she was going to sneak into the House Solidor Palace.

Kira smiled brightly as she finished stretching and only noticed the red tailed hawk soaring high in the sky, heading straight for her when she heard its shrill screeching over the soft sound of the sea breeze and the waves below her. Kira glanced around and found the bird at ten o'clock as it flew straight towards her at break neck speed. Kira frowned slightly, she recognized the bird as it began to slow down, gearing up for the landing on Kira's now out stretched arm. It was Kairos. Larsa's beloved red tailed hawk whom he'd gotten for his tenth birthday from his father. Kira had absolutely no idea what kind of letter Larsa would be sending to her, but she had a bad feeling about it and hesitated to take the letter from Kairos as he landed gently on his arm, a lock of Kira's glossy red hair in his beak and a letter tied around his left taloned foot.

Kira glanced at the lock of red hair and smirked slightly. She had long since suggested to Larsa that he find a way to make sure that Kairos could always find her when he needed her to know something. Considering that Kira was almost never in one place for more than say two, three days, they had to find a suitable means of communication to be a good hunting team. So when he'd suddenly cut a lock of her hair and tied it with a string and explained that Kairos would never have to look too long to find her again, she laughed and agreed.

Kira finally took the letter off Kairos' leg and sent him off to find some other perch while she read the letter. Kira unfurled the slightly tattered piece of parchment and immediately knew it was bad news. Larsa's hand writing was only ever this crazy when he was in a rush, and why would he be rushing if it were good news?

_Kira, there's a lot going on and I have little time to write this. The senate is planning something, likely something they hope will conclude with their leader on the throne instead of me. Now I don't yet know what  
Dalmasca has to do with this but they sent an entire platoon into Low Town the day after Old Dalan's death and reeked havoc. No one was injured, no casualties, but they were looking for something. We don't know what they were looking for but either way they need you down there. I know that you aren't in the best of conditions right now and I hope that you have been taking time off to help yourself coop with all that's happening because I feel as if things will only get worse._

_ They need you there and I can't be in two places at once. You must hurry Kira, Tihana misses you._

_Larsa_

Kira read the letter twice, unable to believe what she was reading. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't believe it. A coup d'etat? A platoon of Archadian soldiers in Low Town? How could so much have happened in such a short space of time? She'd only been gone for two and a half days and all of this happens? Kira shook her head and decided that none of that mattered at the moment, what mattered was that she found herself back in Low Town as soon as possible. She was needed so she'd better make herself available and fast.

When Kira arrived in Low Town, naturally spawning in the South Sprawl after teleporting herself she took in her surroundings and what was going on and felt her blood boil as it coursed through her like fire. It was pure chaos in the south sprawl; there were Archadian soldiers everywhere, all of them heavily armed and aggressive while the people of Low Town, enraged by the invasion of their home fought back with nothing but their fists and the occasional knife. There was noise, lots and lots of noise as different people screamed and yelled for different reasons. The Archadians were screaming and yelling, asking questions and demanding answers and screaming as if they were fighting a war while the poor, helpless Rabanastrans cried and pleaded with them to stop and listen or shouted out in anger as they invaded their home. They was the smell of blood in the air as soldier cut down anyone in their path, a path of needless, senseless destruction.

Kira watched for a moment, stunned into stiffness as three soldiers commenced to beat a man down with the but of their guns, not so much as flinching as blood sprayed up into their faces as they busted up the poor harmless man. Kira felt herself tense and watched as all three of the soldiers suddenly burst into flames, their screams of agony a soothing melody to her ears as she reduced their life to nearly zero. She walked passed the man and cast cure on him to restore enough of his life so that he might escape from the mayhem. The man gave a weak thank you and ran in the opposite direction.

Kira could feel the power of myst course through her very veins as she cast magick after magick, burning, freezing, shocking and drowning any Archadian solider that got in her way as she made for Old Dalan's place where she knew without a doubt Tihana and the other orphans would've gathered.

A pair of soldiers spotted her through a plume of smoke as she walked through her magick induced fire completely unscathed and shouted, "That's her! After her!" the stupid war mungers ran straight at her wielding their heavy broad swords and screaming. Kira took a deep breath and slid out her dagger while ducking as one of the soldiers, the first to reach her, swung his blade at her, the razor sharp edge missing the top of her head by a hair. She swung under his arm and slashed at his armour, hardly making so much as a dent in it before she choose a more practical method and stabbed him in between the layers of metal somewhere in his abdomen. She spun around then, her leg out stretched to sweep the other soldier and watched as he fell clumsily to the floor before stabbing him in the same place she'd stabbed the other one, efficiently immobilizing them both without signing their death warrants. Kira then kicked off into a run as she saw the steadily growing crowd in the distance just around Old Dalan's place.

Kira dodged, skidded and blew her way through the chaos until she reached the huge crowd consisting of smaller groups of people immersed in combat. Kira pushed her way through the crowd, attacking the occasional Archadian that got in her way. She would deal with them later, her current priority was Tihana, Tihana had to be safe.

It wasn't until she reached half way through the crowd did the Archadian soldiers notice her presence and suddenly they all turned their attention to her. Kira gasped as she dodged a heavy axe as it came swinging down on her. "Be careful, they want her alive!" One of them shouted and Kira spun around to try and see who it was that spoke and realized too late that they had surrounded her. Kira took up a fighting stance and nearly growled as she geared herself up for the fight of a life time. There were a lot of Archadian soldiers that surrounded her, more than just a platoon, that was for sure, and there were even more outside the circle of death who worked on keeping the people of Low Town 'at bay' or so they would've called it. Kira looked around at all of them, her purple grey eyes ablaze with rage and passion. She had to get to Tihana, she had to make sure she was safe, Kira didn't know what she would do if she ever lost her.

Suddenly things got quiet, well inside the circle at least. Outside the circle people where still raging, the people of Low Town still fighting a losing battle for their freedom. Kira huffed slightly and watched them as they watched her, realizing that they were probably contemplating how best to approach her considering that they seemed to want her alive and any false moves on their accounts would result in their asses being charred severely as Kira stood on guard, her eyes open wide and relaxed so that she could see everything around her, her ears perked up so that she could hear everything behind her. Kira began to unnoticeably gather the necessary myst and inner power needed to cast strong magicks as she decided on the most effective magick that she could use to eradicate them all at one time.

Kira was more than ready to cast her magick and the soldiers themselves seemed to have been very on edge, especially by the way Kira stood there, shock still in her fighting stance in the dead silence within the circle when a small, high pitched voice suddenly echoed around to them all.

"Leave my mommy alone!!!!!" Kira swivelled around instantly. She watched everything in slow motion as her beloved, blessed daughter ran out of Old Dalan's place and threw a large enough rock at the nearest soldier. Kira had just barely kicked off her feet when the soldier turned around seemingly slowly and raised his rifle at her. Kira heard self screaming as and felt everything go back to normal as she burst forward in a mad dash towards Tihana, the echoing sound of the firing rifle reverberating through her chest. Kira shoved the solider out of the way and dived for her child, tears already streaming from her as she saw the child blown nearly a full three feet away by the blast, a distance she cleared in a record breaking dive to catch the little girl before she fell.

"Tihana!!!" Kira screamed as she shook the girl, her mind in shambles as she tried desperately to think of what next to do while still trying to process what had just happened. On instinct Kira cast her strongest protect, shell and reflect spells around the two of them as the Archadians suddenly opened fire on the pair, apparently only just realizing that their target had broken through their choke hold. Kira paid them little attention as she stared down at her child, now covered in blood, they bullet having gone straight through her tiny body, into the chest and out of her back, Kira could just glimpse the blood splatter on the wall behind them on the inside of Old Dalan's place.

Kira stared down at Tihana as the little girl smiled sweetly at her mother with what little strength she had left and said, "Don't cry mommy..." Kira watched, terrified and horror-stricken as she watched the life slowly fade from Tihana's once vibrant blue eyes. Kira felt her entire body go cold as she watched the little girl's body go limp in her hold as all life left her system. Kira could feel the very frayed ends of her sanity begin to burn away as her entire world crashed around her. She felt the myst develop and gather around her but she had no control over it; she felt the sorrow, the pain, the horrors, the guilt, the anger; she could feel them all being channelled through the myst around her. Kira felt her chest tighten, she felt her throat close up like her fist had, she could feel her heart pounding, tearing itself away from her as if trying to give back the life that was lost. Kira could feel her tears evaporating off her face as the myst burned around her, hot with vengeance.

Kira looked up slowly, her neck muscles tight, pulsing. She hardly noticed that the soldiers had now formed a semi-circle around her and were staring wide eyed at her, shocked at the strength of her protective magicks as anything they through at her simply bounced right off as if she had made a completely impenetrable wall around herself in the space of about five milliseconds. Kira stared down the soldiers in front of her and could almost see the fear swirling off of them as they watched half in wonder and half in horror as seemingly angry myst gathered visibly around the girl, their own frightened faces reflected back at them by the dense myst.

There was only one other time during which she'd felt this angry, this horrified, this vengeful, and that night she had done something terrible and horrifying. She vowed to herself that she would never let it happen again and she intended to keep that promice. Kira held back her power just a notch before she let loose her relentless rage and revenge. She watched as every Archadian soldier in sight was suddenly wrapped in spires of darkness shooting up from the earth, the spires sucking the very life out of each and every one of them ruthlessly, leaving them with little more than one HP point to survive on until they could get back to where they'd crawled from.

Kira watched them all collapse to the floor as the spires of darkness receded, their bodies too weak to even twitch as they all lay blissfully unconscious. Kira used the last of her vengeance fuelled powers to teleport them all back in the general area of Archadia, expecting them to probably land somewhere on the Phon cost instead.

Kira looked around to find shocked and horrified expressions on the faces of the people of Low Town as they discovered the awesome and terrifying power that Kira held. They were afraid of her now; she had never openly showed her powerful magicks to anyone, fearing it may be too dangerous, but now everyone was there to witness it and they were all shocked that a young girl with such a brave, loving heart could cause such damage, could show such hatred and cause such blood shed.

Kira was hurt by the expression on their faces, yes, but all thoughts of their faces suddenly left her mind as she remembered the limb body in her arms. Kira glanced down at Tihana's face, her expression peaceful as if she were only asleep, and felt all her anger, all her hatred and vengeance melt away to sorrow and heartache as she felt the tears begin to flow once more. Kira could not think, she was in too much pain; she couldn't speak either, she could hardly do anything other than scream. Kira screamed, her voice shrill as it rang through the suddenly silent halls of the south sprawl, the sorrow and pain laced through it hurting everyone that heard her.

Kira bent low over Tihana's body, the girl's still warm blood getting all over Kira's bare stomach and armoured shirt as she held the girl close to her body, trying desperately to feel the warmth of her daughter's love again. Kira cried and screamed as she mourned the loss of her beloved daughter. Later she would cry again as she thought of breaking the news to Larsa, but now all she could do was scream, her cries of pain and anguish shuddering through all the on lookers as they too began to cry, mourning the death of such a young and promising child.

It wasn't really the death of the girl that really shook the people of Low Town however, it was the sight of Kira that truly tore them apart. Kira was a person, an icon that everyone saw as being strong; the tough one who could smile through anything; the one you could turn to when you needed a shoulder to cry one while everyone else was crying too; the only one that could smile and try to cheer others up on the day of her fathers death; 'in Kira lies all the strength of Dalmasca herself' Lady Ashe had once said. It was hard to watch the very back bone of their community completely broken and distraught as she mourned, her anguish and sorrow echoing through out all of Low Town.

It was then that many of the people of Low Town realized with a shock that they had been treating Kira more like a symbol than an actual person. Kira to them was the one that represented the very essence of Dalmascans and what it meant to be a hume, everyone had almost forgotten that she was a hume herself, and now, they were rudely awakened as they watched her, completely broken, tired, stripped of everything dear to her, completely alone and suffering, she more than any of them needed support.

Vaan and Penelo knew, however, that she would not accept it, they knew exactly what she was coming to them to say now, three hours after all of the Archadians were teleported away and some of the mayhem and chaos quieted down, Kira somewhat settled but far from herself. Vaan and Penelo had been there the whole time and had seen the whole thing but could do nothing. They were the first ones to reach Kira during her moment of despair and had taken Tihana's body from her with some difficulty as she refused to let go of her. They watched as Kira moved towards them, her face a cold stone mask while her eyes still betrayed the sorrow and pain she felt at the loss of her daughter. The sight of her covered in blood and completely stone faced chilled their bones, this was not the Kira they knew.

"They were after me. Do you have any idea why?" Her words were soft, hoarse and short, cut to the point as if she was afraid to use her mouth in her current condition.

Vaan spoke first, "No...but it might've been you they were looking for when they came first." Kira nodded her head slowly, a raging headache rocking her brains as she feared too much movement might worsen it.

"In that case, I'll have to leave. If it's me they're looking for then..."

"Kira don't do this to yourself!' Penelo said as she grabbed Kira's upper arm, fully aware that that wouldn't do much if she decided she was going to teleport away. "you don't have to leave, you can't leave, you need us right now! You've been through too much it's not right and it's not fair! You can't handle this alone!"

Kira looked at Penelo and Penelo was completely taken aback by the suddenly tired and sorrowful expression on Kira's face, her eyes dull and lifeless, glossy with unshed tears and blood shot. "You're right, I can't handle this alone, but I have to, for the sake of the people of..."

"Oh don't give us that crap!! You've been working for us since before you remember! You've been living this selfless life for so long that you've forgotten how to be selfish! Kira please let us help you!!" Vaan said sounding frustrated, unsure of how to deal with these sort of situations.

"If they're after me then I cannot stay here. I cannot risk another death, just because I need comforting. I'm leaving, and you can't stop me." Kira was already half way through her teleportation magick when Vaan reached out to grab her arm, begging her not to go.

Both Vaan and Penelo cursed loudly as Kira vanished before their very eyes and wondered if they'd ever see her again before this was all over, because it was now clear to them that this plan that the Senate spent God knows how long developing was a lot bigger than either of them could have ever imagined.

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize doesn't belong to me...everything else is MINE!!! =]

Chapter 11

OoOoO

Larsa stood by his window sill and quickly scrawled a few sensible enough words to make Kira understand the situation before he tied the letter around Kairos' leg and handed the bird a lock of flaming red hair that belonged to none other than Kira herself. Larsa smiled briefly as he recalled the day they'd discovered this simple and effective method of tracking per say. "I pray this reaches you in good time..." Larsa mumbled his prayer to the wind as he watched Kairos dive into the open air and take off spectacularly in search of Kira.

Larsa had a right mind to go back to Low Town to investigate further and try to find just what it was that the Senate was looking for. He knew however that they would never allow it. They'd piled him high with paper work, even thought it was hardly a day ago that they were practically demanding that he not work on anything and focus on his up coming wedding.  
"They're keeping me busy because they know I'm on to something." Larsa said to himself as he walked over to his desk and sat down, staring blanking at the stack of papers set out for him, pondering his next move. Larsa nodded to himself slightly and said, "I'll finish everything I've been given to do today and leave first thing in the morning tomorrow. I'll have to inform Basch and Catherine that I will be going alone this time." Larsa sighed as he thought of how he would convince Catherine that he was not going to see Kira which he knew she would accuse him of if he asked her to stay behind. But something just told him she wouldn't want to be there tomorrow.

Basch was the hardest to convince to Larsa's surprise as all Catherine demanded was that he spend the rest of the days with her before the wedding while Basch absolutely refused to allow him to go alone, instead he would come along and go to speak with Lady Ashe while he spent time in Low Town.

Larsa knew there was no arguing with his close friend and personal guard that morning and simply nodded when Basch asked if he understand the plan.

"Larsa, you have to be back as soon as possible ok? We're doing the taste testing for the wedding later this evening, you have to be there!" Catherine said as she hugged him tightly before he boarded the airship.

Larsa smiled at her and said, "I promice I'll be back before dinner." He kissed her gently on the cheek and completely failed to notice the sudden reddening of her skin as he climbed into the airship and ordered the pilot to take off.

Larsa decided to take a quick nap before reaching Rabanastre considering that he'd stayed up late finishing all the paper work the Senate set out for him and it was currently just after day break, so he was feeling rather drowsy.

When the airship landed, Basch woke Larsa gently and said, "I will meet with you in Low Town after I have spoken with the Lady Ashe, assuming that Low Town is the only thing on your agenda."

Larsa, somewhat groggy, glanced up at Basch before shaking his head slightly and saying, "Yes, I need to find out just what it is the Senate wants with Dalmasca and how this ties in with me and a possible coup d'etat."

Basch nodded his agreement before he bowed to Larsa and headed out of the airship, leaving Larsa to be his own escort to his relief. Larsa sat up and stretched his aching muscles while yawning widely. He stood up and smoothed out wrinkles in his clothes before he made his way out of the small airship, thanking the pilot in kind.

Larsa wasted no time as he teleported to the south gate via the moogling system and heading straight down into the south sprawl.

Larsa stood for a moment, shocked, as he stared around Low Town. The walls where scarred and scorched; the little paint that was left stripping off, the ground was stained in blood which was in the process of being washed off while the ceiling also had scorch marks. It looked as if a war had raged there. Larsa looked around, horrified, as he saw people scattered about covered in dirty bandages, ghastly wounds gone unattended to, covered in dried and fresh blood as they sat there, helpless. Larsa watched as the few that weren't injured ran around trying in vain to help the others, cleaning their wounds, trying to bandage wounds although they had no clean bandages, giving medicine, food and water in obvious short supply.  
Larsa shook himself out of his reverie and made to find someone that could tell him just what was going on or better yet, what happened. As he descended the stairs people began to notice his presence and instantly Kytes came running out of the shadows and grabbed Larsa's hand saying, "Vaan and Penelo are over here." Larsa hand no time to say anything and did not struggle as Kytes half dragged him down the hall.

"VAAN!! PENELO!! It's Lamont!!" Kytes shouted as the two came into sight. They were currently speaking with a man in a long white coat with a regal posture and a clipboard and pen in hand.

Vaan and Penelo turned and the look of relief and gladness in their tired eyes at the sight of Larsa shocked him slightly. Vaan turned to Penelo and said something they couldn't catch before jogging over to them. "Thanks Kytes, go see if you can help Migelo bring down the stuff he was preparing for us."

Kytes nodded and ran off before Vaan turned to Larsa and began without being asked, "Yesterday. Yesterday more Archadian soldiers came and rampaged. They were way more aggressive this time and a lot of people were hurt. They were looking for Kira. We don't know why but when she came they all just sort of turned on her,"

"Kira?!" Larsa suddenly cut in, the shock displayed on his face obvious as his mind raced to try and understand just what was going on.

"Yes, but she got the best of them, nearly killed them before she teleported them away. She was really vexed, I think she nearly lost it. In truth I though she would, but she managed somehow."

"Is she here now?" Larsa asked as his mind slowly wrapped around the possibilities of why they might want Kira.

"No she left." Vaan said shortly. Larsa looked up at him with a quirked brow.

Larsa frowned. He could imagine why she would leave, if they were after her then it would be best that she was alone so that no one else would get hurt, but the next question would be, why were they after Kira in the first place. Was it because of Larsa? Rossi said they wouldn't bother her unless she'd actually come to the castle, they wouldn't actively seek her out then. Then again, he'd lied before. So what was they're purpose. Were they planing to capture her and black mail him out of his kingship? No that's far too simple, they know that wouldn't work, not to mention that wouldn't win them the favour of the crowd either. Knowing the senate it would have to be something much more sinister...

Larsa shook his head and groaned. Either way, this was all his fault. Kira..., Tihana too, no... all of Low Town was put in danger because of him. All these people were injured and their home nearly destroyed because his country's leaders were hungry for power and he could do nothing about it. Larsa looked around at all the sorrowful faces and felt the burning of tears behind his eyes as he hung his head in shame, the guilt weighing him down. He could feel the guilt building up but he was slightly surprised to find that the anger he felt towards the Senate and Rossi was growing much faster than his guilt, coursing through him like wild fire, powerful and destructive.

Larsa took a deep breathe to try and calm himself before he looked up at Vaan again. "what is being done to help the people?"

Vaan seemed taken aback slightly, snapped out of his own reverie before he answered, "Ashe is organizing a party of Dalmasca's best doctors and physicians to come to us as most of those who are wounded cannot be moved safely. The only reason they have yet to reach is because it is taking a while to gather all the supplies and medicines they will need to treat the patients, they should be arriving later this morning. As for food and water and etcetera, Migelo is providing those for us, sending what he has now with a few of his workers while he waits for a caravan of fresh goods to arrive hopefully later today."

Larsa nodded, that was good news, at least he knew that the people would be properly taken care of. Larsa sighed and stayed silently for a moment, afraid to ask his next question. "Were there any...any casualties?"

Instantly Vaan looked away from Larsa and Larsa frowned. "Vaan...?"

Vaan looked back at him and then away again. "Vaan, tell me..." Larsa was beginning to panic now. Both he and Vaan knew that he wasn't really asking about casualties, he was asking about Tihana. The fact that he had yet to see his daughter had scared him.

Vaan sniffed slightly and Larsa felt the lump in his throat grow twice its size. "Larsa...I'm sorry..."

"Vaan? Vaan where is Tihana?!" Larsa said forcefully as he felt his heart begin to pound.

Vaan flinched and stuttered, "S-she's...there was nothing we could do..."

Larsa's eyes widened and he ran, he knew where she would be if she was no where else. His daughter was fine. She was safe and warm, probably just sleeping in Old Dalan's Place. There was no way anything could've possibly happened to her while Kira was around.

Larsa ran, desperately trying to delude himself as he reached Old Dalan's place and wrenched the door open. The few Orphans that were in there turned suddenly to look at him, surprised by the sudden intrusion as they all gathered around a table covered in a dark blue cloth under which lie something, something that chilled Larsa to the very core of his bones.  
Larsa could feel his heart racing, pounding in his throat as he strode into the room, the small orphans making a path for him. They all knew, and they all waited, unsure of what to do as they watched him. Larsa stopped in front of the table and stared for a moment at the dark blue cloth. Larsa's breathing was shallow and almost painful as he stood there, watching the cloth as if expecting Tihana to just jump out from under it and shout, "Haha!! Tricked you Daddy!!".

After a long moment of silence, however, Larsa finally took notice of the dead pale arm that hung loosing off the edge of the table into sight and he wrenched the heavy blue material off the table. What met his eyes made his stomach churn. He instinctively covered his mouth with one hand while he leaned forward, resting the other on the edge of the table. Her body was obviously cold, her skin a dead bluish colour, her eyes closed, her chest bare, the gaping hole seemingly cleaned and dried as no blood stained her dead pale skin, scraps of her shirt hung around her shoulders and stomach, the blast having torn most of it to shreds. Her golden locks however, were still speckled with blood, droplets of red death sprinkled through her hair, the once soft and bouncy curls now hung around her face dull and lifeless, hardly a curl in sight. Her limbs were skinnier than ever, her right arm hung limply over the edge of the table.  
Larsa felt his stomach turn and swallowed hard to keep down his breakfast before his chest took up the job of agonizing him. He gasped as his chest tightened and his heart wrenched, as if it were ready to explode. He felt his knees give out as he crumbled to the grounded, his face now mere inches from his daughter's body. Larsa felt the tears burn through his wide eyes and shut them tightly as they began to fall steadily from him. He heard himself sob a shaky bitter sob that made his tears flow even heavier.

How could this have happened? How was this be possible? This just wasn't right. Why? Why did it have to be her? Why Tihana? She was only four years old! She nothing but a child? For what reason...? Larsa's mind raced as he tried and failed to imagine just how it could be that a feud between himself and the members of the senate could've possibly resulted in the death of his beloved surrogate daughter. Larsa tried in vain to think of who could've possibly had the heart, or lack there of, to kill such a small child. This child could've grown up to be an amazing physician who would find the cure for the incurable diseases, or a spectacular engineer who would invent a whole new way of travel, she could've grown up to be the light of the world. How could anyone even imagine killing something so precious?

Larsa felt his entire being simply crumble, his entire psyche was on the breaking point as he broke down, his tears flowing hot like fire down his face and for the second time, the people of Low Town were forced to listen to one of their strongest broken and crying.

It wasn't long before Basch appeared behind Vaan and Penelo as they stood by the door to Old Dalan's Place, crying silently along with the young former father. Vaan explained everything to Basch while Penelo cried on his shoulder. Basch too felt the pain and sorrow of the little girls death and fully understood Larsa's pain. He knew how important the little girl had been to him. Apart from Kira, she was his escape from the world, from the Senate, from the pressure of being Prince and the future king. That little girl and Kira had become his family after he'd been stripped of his own. Basch had always thought that they were too young to raise a child, but they had proved him wrong, as they always did and he watched Tihana grow to understand and love the world. She being yet young could not exactly understand the finer works of their time, but she understood when it was time to play, and when it was time to pray. He had high hopes for the child and was extremely proud of Larsa and simply amazed by the love and care with which he treated her. Tihana pretty much defined the term 'apple of my eye' for Larsa and now that she was dead, Basch was unsure what Larsa would do.

Basch, unable to watch his charge in such torment, moved forward and touched Larsa lightly on his shoulder. Larsa turned to look up at him suddenly, his eyes red and puffy, and streaming with tears still. "Larsa..."

Larsa turned away from Basch's concerned gaze and hiccuped slightly as his entire body tensed. He squeezed his eye shut and stood up suddenly. When Larsa turned to face Basch once more, eyes open, back straight and his chin up, Larsa resembled a prowling beast. Basch nearly flinched away form his hard gaze as he said, "We are returning to Archadia. Now."  
Basch nodded and followed him as he strode briskly out of Old Dalan's room, his aura red with rage as his mind set solely on punishing the Senate. Basch followed behind him, keeping pace easily while he tried to figure a way to calm down the young Prince. As they boarded the airship however, Larsa situated himself by the window and sat cross-legged staring out, his gaze hard and piercing as though he were trying to burn a whole through the glass. Basch was surprised it didn't. In his current state, Basch had a hard time even trying to figure how to approach him much less to try and calm him down. Basch had never experienced Larsa this angry, this engulfed in hatred. It scared him.

As they reached the platform, Larsa made his way out of the airship and straight into the palace. Basch trailed behind with growing difficulty as Larsa stormed through the halls, servants and bureaucrats alike clearing a path for him, afraid to get too close to his enraged being.

Larsa had reached the Senate room long before Basch and Basch silently prayed that Larsa would not do anything stupid.

"That boy Prince is on too loose a leash. If he continues to run a mock like this our plans could be foiled!!"

"Be calm friend. Our young Prince is not capable of such things. What we need is already within reach, all that's left is to find her and..." The sudden booming of the heavy wooden doors to the senate room being thrust open viciously rudely interrupted him. Rossi looked up and sighed slightly before he smiled.

Larsa did not, however, give Rossi the chance to open his mouth. "You've gone too far Rossi! What right do you have to send my soldiers into Rabanastre to reek havoc a second time?!"  
"It was merely a search. I'm sure no one was harmed and we found what we were looking for, all that's left is to retrieve it." Rossi said calmly. "We even sent a notice and an apology for the intrusion to Lady Ashe just now."

Larsa felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he bristled. "Just now?! Why not simply ask Lady Ashe herself to assist you in your search rather than send in our own men? For what purpose did you have to go to such lengths?"

"Oh come now my Prince, it's not like we destroyed the entire town, it was merely a more...thorough search party this time." Rossi smiled maliciously as he sat back in his high chair.  
Larsa's fist curled into a ball as he stared at Rossi, his disgust for the man growing every second. "You might as well have set all of Low Town on fire to equal the amount of damage you caused!"

"Oh they'll recover in due time, it's just a scratch." Rossi said waving it off like it was nothing to loose a few limps here and there.

"Recover!?" Larsa nearly exploded, "A child was murdered. A child of only four years old was brutally murdered! There is no recovery from Death Caligula! For what reason?! How could you possibly justify this death?!" Larsa shouted, his arms waving and shaking to accentuate his points.

Rossi looked taken aback slightly, as did the rest of the senate members. It would seem that this little bit of information hadn't reached them. Rossi frowned slightly and huffed before he stood his nose in the air and said coldly, "There is no gain without sacrifice."

Larsa was obviously seething at this point as he hung his head low, his nails biting into his skin, threatening to break it. "Why Low Town? Why Kira?" Larsa decided that he'd better get some answers before he fully lost control of his anger.

"When we find her we won't harm her, we just need answers is all." Rossi said stoned faced.

Larsa quirked a brow and said, "Well you won't find her. She is out of Low Town now and you've no right to invade further. But what is it that you could possibly want with Kira? The years that we spent together have absolutely nothing to with you."

"Oh dear Larsa, you seem to misunderstand." Rossi said with a sly smirk as he leaned forward in his chair, his folded hands under his chin. "We've been searching for your dear street rat girlfriend long before you even met her."

Larsa was so confused by his statement that he temporarily forgotten to be angry. "...w-what?"

"In fact, you'd lead us straight to her. We should be grateful." Rossi smirked evilly as he watched Larsa try in vain to wrap his mind around what he had just learned.

Larsa just couldn't understand anything any more. Why would they be looking for Kira before she even had anything to do with Archadia? What ties did she have to our country? Were they good or bad if any? What answers where the Senate looking for? Was Larsa himself involved any at all? Did any of this have to do with him any more? Larsa simply couldn't wrap his mind around anything. There were too many questions and almost no answers what so ever. The only thing that remained clear and true was the fact that Kira was in danger because of him. "What is it that you want with Kira? What are you planning Rossi?!" Larsa demanded.

"You will know in time young Prince, in time. We are only working towards a better tomorrow." Rossi said with a disgusting smile on his face.

"A better tomorrow for whom!? Yourselves?!" Larsa almost shouted. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How did all of this add up? The Senate, Kira, a possible coup d'etat, making the world a better place; how did all of these thing add up?!

"For Archadia and all of Ivalice, of course." Rossi said almost nonchalantly.

Larsa bristled slightly, suddenly reminded of his anger and rage as he thought of all those close to him, his family, Tihana. "If it is for all of Ivalice then how can you cast aside the life of a child, an innocent child hardly adapt to the world and its ways!"

"One soul lost for the salvation of many." Rossi had yet to express any form of remorse and Larsa could feel the pit of his stomach broiling just thinking about it.

Larsa glared at Rossi for a long moment, took a deep, shuddering breath and decided to finish this before he did something stupid, "I want you to write another letter to Lady Ashe. One with your most sincere apology for the disturbance and a promice to donate a hundred million gil to start project on renovating Low Town. These past events could have very well severed our ties with Dalmasca. I refuse to allow that to happen. I want this letter on my desk by this afternoon, no later. I will sign it and send it by my own means. This is not a request." Larsa's voice was hard and cold, clearly telling Rossi that he had no choice in the matter, no matter how much lower down on the social ladder Larsa was currently to him.

Rossi smiled a hard, reluctant smile before he sighed and said, "Fine then, whatever pleases the young prince, but in return, my Prince, we asked that you please stay within the castle walls until the day of your coronation. There are many things that need doing and cannot be done without you considering that you are at the heart of this historical event."

Larsa glared hard at Rossi for a long moment before he simply walked out the door not bothering to acknowledge any of the Senate members and ignoring Rossi as he asked him rather rudely to close the door on his way out, a door which he'd left wide open.

Kira stood silently, her eyes closed and her stance rigid. It wasn't long before she collapsed, however, and became a weeping mess as she mourned the death of her daughter. Unlike when her father died, Kira could not muster the strength to keep her self off the ground as she lay there, tired, hungry and stripped of everything dear to her. She could not think either, all she could do was cry, her body too tired to attempt anything else and her mind, shattered into a thousand pieces, was unable to put itself together again.

Kira lay there for a long time in the shadow of the Pharos before she finally managed to calm down as she stared up at the pale blue sky staring straight into the heavens as she wondered if their really was a god up there. She shook the thoughts from her mind as they began to drift back to Tihana and decided that she should try and find out what it is that the Archadian Senate wants with her.

Kira sighed heavily before sitting up and staring up at the Pharos as she tried to discern for what reason the Archadian Senate would be hunting her down. Her first thought was that it had to do with Larsa's monthly disappearances, but she was sure that Larsa would've cleared that up with them once word of his engagement to Catherine reached them.

Kira shook her head and decided that that was most likely not the case. Perhaps I'd stolen something a bit too precious last time I visited...? I hardly even remember what I stole though, and it didn't fetch the prettiest penny either. Kira frowned as she thought about it.

She then put her hands on her hip and felt the moulds of the old brass key Old Dalan gave her inside her pocket and took it out. Kira held the key up to her face and took a close look it as she thought things over. Old Dalan always used to talk about how Larsa should be careful of the Archadian Senate and how they were up to no good. He was constantly going on about it, did that mean that he knew something? Kira thought of what the key had lead her to so far and wondered if she should continue following it.

She then glanced up at the tress around her, noting that she'd teleported to the exact same spot she had before where the tree form which she'd extracted the box stood a little ways to her left. Kira smirked slightly as she observed the few pieces of fruits now dangling form its branches among the dazzling array of flowers on the floor and the branches.

Kira made her way towards the tree and picked one of the fruits. She couldn't remember if the fruit was poisonous or not and decided not to take her chances, despite the fact that her stomach felt like it was ready to eat itself. She took her dagger and cut the purple fruit in half, pulling out the one lone seed from its confines. The seed was oddly shiny and had visible veins of a bluish green crystalline substance moving through it that she knew must be the naturally occurring Magicite.

Kira smiled and remember what the note had said, wishing she could also remember what she had done with it too. She turned the seed over in her hand once before letting it fall out of her hand onto the ground. It hit the ground with a dull thud and bounced slightly before it came to a stop. Kira watched it sit there, still, not moving at all and frowned. She stood akimbo over the seed and sighed heavily. This just wasn't fair now was it.

Just as Kira made to pick up the seed again, it suddenly shot off in some seemingly random direction. Kira gasped and nearly fell flat on her face as she kicked off into a sprint to try and keep up with the ridiculously fast seed. Kira struggled to follow the seed as it whipped around corners and through tunnels and seemingly all around the Ridorana Cataract before it suddenly fell into a hole in the floor at a dead end in one of the corridor around the Colosseum. Kira stood there, above the gaping hole and groaned. "You've got to be kidding me. What the hell is up with this place and holes in the ground."

Kira glanced down into the pitch blackness and wondered if she should take her chances and go down there. She fidgeted, reminding herself that if she didn't hurry, she would lose the seed, no doubt it was continuing it's relentless journey below. Kira groaned loudly again and bent low over the hole, trying in vain to at least get an estimate of how deep it was, although she already figured it was pretty damn deep considering she had yet to hear the seed hit anything.

It was then that she felt it, as she leaned over the edge of the hole. The distinct warmth of myst. It was strong and a long ways in but she could still detect its presence. Kira stood up straight and remembered the last time she fell through a hole in the floor around her. That time the myst was so dense it had actually slowed her fall. It was likely that it could happen again, not to mention the myst felt even stronger here than it did that time.

Kira sighed and took a deep breath and said a quick prayer before she sat down on the edge of the hole, her legs hanging down into the abyss and slid off. The experience was not pleasant, that much she could tell you. Kira could hardly hold back a scream as she felt her stomach fly up into her throat and her heart practically stop as her speed increased. Kira lost track of time and could've sworn she was falling for hours before she finally began to slow down. She opened her eyes suddenly as she felt as if she'd splashed into extremely thick steam and took in a deep breath of awe as she fell through swirls of myst like none she'd ever seen before. Kira had never seen so much myst in one place before and was taken aback by the warmth of the myst, its gentleness as it brushed against her skin, holding her up in mid air as it let her down to the ground ever so slowly.

Kira barely even noticed that her feet touched the ground as the she was delicately deposited onto the ground. She was in such awe of the share quantity and quality of the myst surrounding her that she failed to notice the other presence in the long hall.

"Well, what a day this is turning out to be. It's been a while, Kira."

OoOoO

To be Continued... After I thank my first reviewer, Marta.  
Thanks a bunch love, yes I know it's very sad but I wouldn't have categorized it as Tragedy other wise now would I? Any ways thanks for reading and I'd really appreciate it if you'd review again, of course that's all up to you. =]


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it, you don't then... it's MINE!!!!!!!!=P

OoOoO

Chapter 12

"Larsa. Larsa! Larsa won't you please calm down for a moment and talk to me?!" Catherine pleaded as she stood by the door to Larsa's study where she watched him pace in front of his desk, his arms folded and his eyes ablaze with anger.

"Calming down is not something I am capable of right now Catherine. You give me too much credit." Larsa said through gritted teeth. He had only just sent the letter off to Lady Ashe and was still fuming over his meeting with the Senate. How could they be so heartless? For what reason did they have to resort to such violent methods? What is it that they wanted with Kira anyway? Did any of this have to do with him any more? Did Old Dalan have anything to do with all this?

The last question had come into Larsa's mind not too long ago as he recalled how Old Dalan used to constantly warn him of the Senate's movements. Did that mean that Old Dalan knew more than he was letting on? It wouldn't have surprised Larsa if he did. Old Dalan always seemed to know everything.

"Larsa just please, tell me what happened? You come storming in here all upset, mumbling and grumbling to yourself! I don't understand anything! I don't understand you any more Larsa! Won't you please tell me what's happened? I'm completely in the dark." Catherine said forcefully, her patience wearing thin.

Larsa had the sudden urge to tell her that she never really understood him to begin with but held his tongue and took a deep breath before he stopped in front of his desk and sighed. He rested his hands on the desk and hung his head. He wasn't sure if he should tell Catherine any of what was going on. It all seemed too big for her, for even him too. But considering that she was to be his wife in a few days, she was already caught in the middle of all this and had a right to know.

Larsa looked over at Catherine and decided. Larsa told her everything that he knew, from the possible coup d'etat to the murder of Tihana to Kira's strange involvement in the whole thing. Through out the entire explaination, Catherine's face continued to morph, going from angry, to absolutely horrified as she shed tears for the death of the little girl she'd just barely known, to shocked and then confused. "Kira? What would the senate want with her? You see Larsa, I knew it, that girl was bad news from the start. Just what could she have done now to warrant this response from the Senate?!" Catherine seemed upset and vaguely reluctant as she knew Larsa would immediately disagree.

"What makes you believe that Kira is the one at fault here?" Larsa's suddenly cold tone momentarily stunned Catherine. "The Senate, they are the ones to blame, they're plotting something and I need to figure it out, and as for Kira being bad news for me, it's likely the other way around. It would seem that the Senate has been searching for her long before I even met her. I'd led them straight to her..." Larsa's voice trailed off at the end, guilt weighing down his last words.

Catherine fidgetted slightly, unsure of what to do or how to cheer him up while she still felt that he would've been better off if he had had nothing to do with Kira. Catherine was still struggling to comprehend all of what Larsa told her when she'd decided that cheering up her fiancée came first and had finally pieced together something meaningful to say when Larsa's office door suddenly opened and Judge Basch stood by the door, awaiting permission to enter.

Larsa looked up sharply at him, seeming to have been knocked out of a reverie by the opening of the door and said, "Come, Basch."

Basch entire the room and gave Catherine a slight bow of his head before saying, "Excuse the intrusion, but if you are free my lord I would like to enlighten you on my meeting with Lady Ashe."

Larsa seemed to become alert all of a sudden and said, "No please, I'm all ears."

Basch nodded. "Lady Ashe has decided to abstain from resistant action towards Rossi's 'search parties'. She said that as long as you can keep things under control on your side, then she will hold her tongue and aid in whatever way she can."

Larsa snorted his amusement and asked, "I take it that was a quote?"

Basch also smiled "Yes it was."

"Well, I'm not sure if I can really do anything to keep the peace on this side..." Larsa said with a heavy sigh as he leaned back on his office desk. "I've not much power against Rossi at the moment with every member of the Senate backing him."

Basch shook his head slightly and smiled at Larsa, "The Lady Ashe has great faith in you, as do we all." Larsa smiled a genuine smile of gratitude and reminded himself that he should really be grateful to have Basch, especially after his brother Gabranth, or rather, Noah, died.

"Yes, we know you'll be a great king someday." Catherine said with an encouraging smile as she stepped forward and took hold of Larsa's hand. Larsa smiled warmly at her and sighed slightly, hoping and praying that he could meet all of these expectations.

There was a brief moment of silence before Larsa looked up at Basch curiously and asked, "Have you heard from Fran and Balthier lately?"

Basch looked up at Larsa with quirked brow, curious as to why Larsa would suddenly ask about those notorious Sky Pirates. Basch thought on it for moment and smiled slightly before he said, "No, but I have heard of them. It would seem they have taken up residence in Balfonheim where Balthier has taken up Reddas' position as a leader of sorts. Although I have also heard that it is near impossible to catch those two in person. Most must turn to Vaan and Penelo if they need to find them apparently, which would also explain Vaan and Penelo's frequent absence from Rabanastre."

Larsa chuckled slightly. He could just imagine that, Balthier and Fran going off to be Sky Pirates and leaving all the hard work to Vaan and Penelo. Fran would probably scold Balthier about it but go along with it anyway.

"Why do you ask?" Basch said as he folded his arms and relaxed his stance.

Larsa looked up at him then at Catherine. He frowned slightly and said, "If they are in charge of Balfonheim now then I'd imagine they know Kira somewhat."

Basch furrowed his eyebrows and gave Larsa questioning look before he said, "And how do you figure that?"

Larsa smirked slightly and chuckled before saying, "House Solidor palace wasn't the only place she visited every month Basch, I thought you knew that."

"Well, what a day this is turning out to be. It's been a while, Kira."

Kira spun around to find the owner of the voice and smiled brightly before she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and said, "Aww geez Balthier don't scare me like that."

"We didn't mean to startle you. How is it that you are here Kira?" Fran asked from where she stood in front of a huge door covered in ornate carvings and pearly white in colour, a starch contrast to the dark grey walls of the cave around it.

Kira took a moment to observe and marvel at the beauty of the simple door before she answered, "I was lead here." She didn't bother to put in the part about the Magicite seed and the drawer in the tree figuring that they'd think her crazy.

"By whom? How did you slow your fall like that?" Balthier asked immediately.

"The myst. The myst is very thick down here, it slowed my fall, I didn't have to do anything." Kira said. As she said this however she realized something and turned to her Viera friend. "Fran, are you alright? Since the myst is very strong here..."

"I am fine. The myst here is warm and gentle, almost as if it were calling for something, that is what lead me here, but I cannot read the inscriptions on this door. These writings are far older than the first civilisation build by my people." Fran said thoughtfully as she turned to face the door against and rested her hand on the face of the pearly white carved face of the door.

Kira walked up to the door and asked, "So how did you guys get in here?"

"There is a way in through the Subterra of the Pharos, although, we nearly died trying to make it in here. So I'll be damned if we don't find anything." Balthier said as he sat down on a rock not too far from the door where Kira and Fran stood with their backs to him as they examined the door. "We've been urging this door to open for maybe an hour now and to no avail."

Kira looked over the door and then on the ground where she saw her seed there spinning against the door as if it was trying to roll through the door. Clearly she needed to get through this door. Kira looked over the door and noticed its similarity to the one she'd found the day they fell through the floor running from that mark. "I've seen this design before." Kira said absent mindedly.

Fran quirked a delicate brow at her words and said, "If so then where? Never in all my years have I seen or heard of any such design or architecture."

"I'd fallen through the floor while running from a mark I was deceived into thinking was merely a rank III on the Ridorana Cataract and found myself in hall where the walls had this same sort of design on them. I'd found a door there and I opened it by..." Kira trailed off slightly as she inspected the door searching for the imprint of a hand somewhere on the door. "A-hah!!" Kira exclaimed with a grin as she found it in roughly the same place she'd found the one on the other door.

"Oh we've tried that already, nothing you do to they strange symbol will do anything." Balthier said nonchalantly as he waved off her idea. Kira turned to him and smirked slightly.

"Somehow I think you're wrong. This is exactly how we're going to open this door." Kira said confidently as she placed her hand over the light imprint and waited.

Fran was about to say something it seemed but then a bright light flashed from under Kira's hand and there was the sound of mechanics moving and shifting within the door before the door shuddered and slowly began to open inwards, slowly revealing a long, wide hall way whose walls were of the same pearly white colour with the same sort of design pattern running along it.

Kira stood akimbo facing the open door before she smirked smugly and looked over her shoulder at Balthier who stood up slowly and whistled before saying, "Well...I'm glad I didn't bet on that one. You never cease to amaze me Kira."

Kira huffed slightly and shook her head at him before she lead the way through the door down the hall. As they walked down the hall, they began to see changes in the architecture, nothing much just that there where suddenly many doors on either side of them and the ceiling got higher at some point and wall lanterns with ever glowing crystals became their light. As they walked down the hall, the echo of their foot steps slowly became duller and duller, as being muffled until it were as if they were walking on cotton as no sound was being made at all by their feet. Kira figured that it was due to the steady increase of myst in the hall. The myst was so thick that she was forced to slow her pace and be extra careful as she could hardly see more than three feet ahead of her. The myst was so thick that Kira felt as if she was walking through a dry fog if that made sense. She could feel the myst on her skin and she walked, a warm tingly feeling she was growing to love. She wondered however if it was safe for Fran to be in this much myst even if it was as gentle as this. Kira stopped walking then and turned around to face Fran and Balthier and was about to ask if Fran was alright when she realized there was no one there.

Kira blinked slightly and called, "Fran, Balthier?" there was no answer. She squinted through the myst and saw nothing but swirling multicoloured myst around her. She sighed and turned around to face front again before she lost her sense of direction in this place, assuming that Fran and Balthier must've gone in some random direction and lost her, although, she couldn't remember seeing any turn-offs.

"Fran, is it just me or is that not the door we just walked through?" Balthier asked as they came open a door wide open and leading into a dark cave they recognized as the way they had come in.

"I believe that we are not welcome here. Who it was that Kira here only has business with her and does not wish to be interrupted." Fran said, her voice underlined with worry.

"Oh Kira's a big girl, I'm sure she'll be fine and with all this myst she'll no doubt be at her best." Balthier said before looking around the cave and sighing. "The ones we should be worried about are ourselves. Getting in here was hard enough with the hope of finding something valuable, but now I'm just feeling rather depressed."

Kira kept walking down the hall, having completely forgotten her Magicite seed, not seeing the point in trying to follow it now that she could hardly even see her own boots wit all the myst around her. She walked until she found another door. She nearly smacked right into it and stopped just before her nose made contact with it, the myst being too thick to see through to more than a few inches by now.

Kira jumped and grinned widely at the sight of the door, having been worried that she had gotten lost and would never find her way back out. It didn't take long to find the hand print on the door this time and as she place her hand over the print, a light flashed under it and the door made those same mechanical noises and shuddered violently. As soon as the door opened a crack, there was a sudden rush of wind and all the myst and air around her rushed into the room beyond the door. Suddenly everything was clear and Kira could see that the door led into a labyrinth of stair ways leading straight down. Kira walked out into the hall way that lead to a set of stairs and looked over the railing into the abyss and gasped as she saw myst swirly up and down throughout the labyrinth, its depths invisible to her due to the myst despite how well lit the entire structure was with chandeliers and wall lanterns full of bright ever glowing crystals.

Kira was in complete awe. The labyrinth was so beautiful, with the warm light of the crystals and the warmth of the myst all around her, the beautiful architecture and design of the place so similar to that of the Pharos and yet different somehow. As if the two places where made by the same people but for different purposes. Kira felt compelled to explore, she no longer felt hunger, or fatigue or even sorrow. She felt completely free, welcomed and warm as she ran through the Labyrinth, excited and eager to find the source, to find just what it was that was making her feel this way.

By the time she reached the bottom of the Labyrinth, she was out of breath and completely exhausted but she went on still. The last of the stairs she'd descended lead into a huge hall that was strangely clear of myst as every inch of the vast empty hall was visible from where she stood at one end of it. Kira furrowed her brow slightly and looked up, remembering having to have to almost fight her way through myst to get here and she nearly fell over as she found an almost solid looking ceiling of myst several feet above her head. Kira looked around the hall for any signs of where next to go and soon found a door. A huge door much like the few she'd seen before on the adjacent wall of the hall not very far from her. Kira smiled and hopped into a dash to the door.

She skidded to a halt in front of the door and found the hand print almost instantly, placing her hand atop it without hesitation. She waited with baited breath as a light flashed under her hand and the usually mechanical noises could be heard from the door. Kira stood as still as she possibly could with her heart pounding in her throat and her skin tight with goose bumps as her excitement bubbled over inside her.

As the door opened slowly, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. She'd never forgotten him. The day she first saw him he'd captivated her and she'd been dieing to go looking for him just to know more about him, but so much had happened between now and the time she'd first seen him. As the door opened wider, Kira could now properly see the man with the silver hair and the strange clothing, his ice-blue eyes lined in black stunningly beautiful, his entire form glowing against the myst around him, his white appearance giving the illusion that he was an angel.

Kira stood still, unsure of what to do and how to react to this mysterious man that she some how felt would help solve all her problems. She was saved the trouble however as the man smiled warmly at her and said in a deep smooth voice, "It is good to see you Kira. We have been waiting for a long time for your arrival."

Kira blinked slightly. She was taken aback that the man knew her name but was more concerned with the fact that he said 'we'. "What do you mean we?"

The man smiled at Kira and said, "Follow me."

Kira followed the man without a thought as he lead her further into a large chamber where the myst was very thick and seemed to be surrounding and coiling around something huge in the middle of the bare room. As they got closer, Kira realized with a jolt that they were approaching the source of the myst and felt her heart jump into her throat once more.

Once they were close enough to felt the hot myst swirling around the large thing, completely conceal by myst, the man stopped her and bowed to the thing. Kira watched him curiously and gasped as she saw the myst slowly melt away from the thing and pool on the ground around it, so dense, so condensed that it was almost a liquid on the floor around it. Kira looked up at the thing and gasped as she felt her knees buckle.

Kira gazed up at the huge crystal, its height at least twice that of her own, and five times her width. She could tell that it was dense and completely solid as she could see almost straight through were it not for the many angles and cuts on it's ragged surface. Kira could feel the raw energy swirling off the crystal, the sheer magnitude of its power taking her breath away.

Kira had never before seen a crystal of such proportions, one so powerful and mysterious. There was only one that could possibly fit this description that she knew of, and there was no way a crystal of this size and power could just go unnoticed so it had to be the same one. "...but the Cryst was destroyed...." Kira mumbled slightly to herself, completely confused. She stood slowly again and gazed up at the magnificent crystal and said slowly to herself, as if trying to make sense of it, "It couldn't be....You...this is the Sun Cryst...?"

OoOoO

To be Continued...

P.S.- I am so sorry this one took so long, school work has really been killing me, but thanks a lot Marta for the reviews, hope you enjoyed this chapter and honestly I can't guarantee a quick update but I can tell you that once summer comes around the chapters will be flying left right and centre!! =D So plz don't loose faith and R&R ^^ thanks a bunch love


	13. Chapter 13

Discliamer: If you recognize it then i don't own it, if you do...It's MINE!!! =P

OoOoO

Chapter 13

"So they're holding that meeting today are they?" Larsa asked Basch as he leaned back in his office chair, staring out of the window into an ironically bright blue sky.

"Yes, I believe it will be over soon." Basch said shortly. "Everyone is here even the Garif Chief and the leader of the Viera tribe, the only one missing is of course Balthier, but no one really sees him as a leader." Basch said with a slight smirk. Balthier was never really one to take on much responsibility.

"I take it there is someone to represent Balfonheim though?" Larsa asked with a quirked brow. He wanted representatives from every nation around Ivalice to be there in that meeting. He wanted the Senate to have as little an impact on the decision as possible. He wanted the election to be fair and he wanted everyone to be happy with the decision. He didn't want to rule through anarchy.

"Yes there is." Basch answered him as he sat with his arms folded in the chair opposite to Larsa's.

"Where is Catherine?" Larsa asked suddenly, wondering why he had yet to see her. She'd been quite the bundle of joy since their last argument, trying in vain to cheer him up he realized. He greatly appreciated how much she cared for him, but he just couldn't muster enough energy to pretend everything was alright with all that's been going on. He still had no idea what the Senate had to do with Kira and the notion that Old Dalan had something to do with it all kept nagging at him.

"She said something about touring Archadia with her father. She seemed rather excited." Basch smirked slightly and Larsa smiled.

"Yes that does sound like her. No doubt her father's pocket will be considerably lighter come evening time today." Larsa said with a small smile. It was then that they heard a sharp wrapping on the door and Larsa turned a quirked brow to Basch while he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Come."

"Good morning young king, although you aren't king yet I might as well start practising." Larsa and Basch smiled as Lady Ashe waltz into the room, seemingly cheerful and happy.

Larsa gave a sheepish chuckle and said, "good morning to you as well Ashe." Larsa watched as Basch stood to offer Ashe the chair he was sitting on while she scoffed at him and waltz to the end of the room and got an extra chair for herself and set it down right beside Basch as he stood over his seat, still somewhat surprised that she'd so blatantly refused his offer.

Larsa chuckled slightly as Basch sighed and sat back down in his seat before Ashe turned to Larsa and began. "Well, everyone is quite happy with the idea of reinstating the Galtean Alliance and there has yet to be any rejection to the idea of your rule. There are only two other candidates and well...let's just say that they are neither well known or up to standards from what we've heard. So there is no doubt in my mind that you will be the one to rule over the Galtean Alliance like the great Dynast King before you."

"But Lady Ashe...i do not understand." Larsa said as he tapped his chin thoughtfully, leaning forward slightly in his chair and then resting his elbows on his desk. "Why have you not been nominated, or rather, why have you not nominated yourself? Being the descendant of King Raithwall himself one would think..."

"I am needed in Rabanastre." Ashe cut in, "My country needs me more than ever right now, and if I were to take on all of Ivalice as my charge, then I fear I would never have the time of day for my own people." Larsa nodded slightly. He understood, he could see the logic. "Not to mention many people all over Ivalice, despite the changing tides of time, would still resent a Queen as ruler of all of Ivalice." Larsa huffed slightly and nodded grimly; that was also true.

"So the ballots are being counted?" Basch asked as he sat in his chair, his arms folded just as before.

"Yes, but as I've said, I am positive that Larsa will be chosen as our next Dynast King. I am very glad and I have high hopes and expectations for you as does everyone else, but I am worried about one thing. The Senate members, especially Rossi, seemed a little bit too eager to put you in the big chair Larsa. I think you should be weary of their movements." Ashe said seriously as she folded her hands under her chin and crossed her legs.

Larsa nodded slowly in agreement and said, "As I said to you in our last meeting, Basch and I believe that the Senate may be plotting a coup, but now I am unsure. I recently learned that their reason for raiding Low Town was to find Kira."

Ashe looked taken aback and mouthed the girl's name as her brow furrowed together in confusion before she motioned for Larsa to continue. "Yes, Kira. We still have no idea what they could want with Kira, especially considering the fact that they've been searching for her since before she and I even met..." Larsa paused slightly, a pang of guilt shooting through his system. He sighed and swallowed it down before continuing. "So I am back to square one. I've no idea what the Senate is up to and no way to stop them. My only hope is that my corronation goes smoothly and then I'll have the power to disband their little gathering and strip them of all their political power."

"Yes, but I can't help feeling that your corronation is going to go anyway but smooth." Ashe said grimly. "Is there anyway in which I can help?"

"I don't know." Larsa looked out of his office window for a second and thought about it. That window was the very same window Kira disappeared through on their first meeting and it was frequently used there after. Larsa sighed as he silently wished he could see Kira appear there just once more. "There is one thing that has been on my mind lately. I've been wondering if Old Dalan knew anything about all this. About the Senate and their planning..."

"Old Dalan?" Ashe asked with a quirked brow. Basch too had glanced over at Larsa with a questioning look.

"Yes. While I was as Lamont and in Low Town, Old Dalan would always warn me about the Senate. I'd long since known that they had become a good for nothing bag of old coots in my palace, but Old Dalan's warnings had never amounted to something this big in my mind. So now I am wondering if he knew more than he let on, and if so, then I'll need a way to get to his stuff." Larsa said seriously, suddenly leaning forward and speaking in a softer tone of voice. "I however, have been placed in 'quarantine' so to speak. The Senate has been keeping a strict watch on me, considering that my wondering about has resulted in my learning more about their plans they would've liked. It won't be easy getting out, that is if..." Larsa trailed off slightly as he gazed up at Basch and Ashe with a pleading look.

Basch blinked slightly and smirked before he said, "You know Larsa, I think it's about time we vanquished that Hell Wyrm, wouldn't you agree?"

"Hmm, and you know, my airship has been in need of repair lately, we might have to stop in the Tchita Uplands to...tune up a bit before heading out to Rabanastre." Ashe said as she tapped her chin with her index finger pretending to be thoughtful.

Larsa grinned and chuckled slightly before he said, "Well then I'd better let the Senate know that we'll be cleaning out the Sochen Cave Palace before my corronation and that the Lady Ashe will be leaving early."

"So it's settled then?" Ashe said as she stood up and stood akimbo in front of the two.

"What's settled?" The three of them turned around to face Catherine as she stood at the door, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Yes Lady Ashe what is settled?" Basch asked politely as he reached for a pen and paper on Larsa's desk and began scribbling a short letter.

"Indeed Lady Ashe what are you talking about?" Larsa asked her calmly, looking almost genuinely confused but the huge grin on his face gave him away.

"What am I talking about?! What are _you_ talking about?! I've said nothing of importance." Ashe said as she turned away from them swiftly and made for the door where she patted Catherine gently on the head and waved goodbye to the boys.

Catherine furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and turned to Larsa to see him standing up slowly, his shoulders shaking with quiet laughter. "Larsa...?" Catherine said in a questioning tone, glad that he was smiling but confused as to what could've cheered him up in such a short space of time after she'd tried for hours on end.

"Oh, Catherine. Basch and I will be going down to the Sochen cave Palace to extinguish a foul demon that has plagued its halls for too long now, so I'll be gone for most of the day." Larsa's tone sounded way to cheery for him to be talking about extinguishing a foul demon.

Catherine looked shocked at first and then said, "What?! But...when was this decided? Larsa we're getting married in three days! Where are you off to again at a time like this?!"

"Ah but that's just it Catherine!" Larsa said as he gently grasped her shoulders, "I want the Sochen Cave Palace to be clear of those vile fiends by the time I am to take up my throne, so I must do this now. I won't have time after I've become King, and after you're my Queen." He'd tacked on the last piece, knowing full well that she wouldn't be able to resist him after he'd said that.

Catherine's mouth opened to protest again, but then his words registered in her head and she immediately shut her mouth and blushed darkly before she hung her head and began to twirl a lock of her hair nervously as she babble some nonsensical gibberish.

Larsa smiled and patted her head before he quickly said his goodbye and headed out the door to tell the Senate that he and Basch would be out vanquishing the Hell Wyrm. It took a moment for Catherine to snap out of her stupor and realize that Larsa had left and by the time she did, Basch was sending Kairos out with the letter he'd just finished writing. "Godspeed my friend." Basch said to the hawk as it shrieked happily and nipped painfully at Basch's fingers as he tied the letter around the birds foot.

Basch then turned to face Catherine and smiled slightly before he patted her on the head and walked out of Larsa's office, leaving a rather miffed Catherine behind.

"Mi lord...Mi lord do you really think it's in there?" A soldier about one and half of Larsa's height said as he clutched his war hammer close to his chest. Currently, Larsa, Basch and a soldier named Michael where walking through the Sochen Cave Palace around Destiny's March in order to unlock the door to the Hall of the Wroth God where the Hell Wyrm lay in wait.

Larsa had been the one of decipher the riddles on the wall in the Foot Falls of Time and in Destiny's March and he was positive that they would find it. "I'm positive. But you know...you don't have to stick around if you're scared." Larsa said with a small smirk as he turned to face the soldier briefly whom he noted looked pale.

"N-no sire! I was ordered to stay by your side and never to let you out of my sight not matter what!" The solider suddenly stood up straighter and walked more briskly in attempt to look brave but Larsa just sighed and wondered how Archadian soldiers could be such wimps.

"Well, then I suppose you're ready them, because we're here." Larsa said as he and Basch stopped in front of the door as they heard a distinct mechanical 'click' from it, signalling that they'd succeeded in opening it.

The soldier let out a little squeak and muttered, "Already?...that's was rather quick...don't you think we should go around again just to...make sure..." The soldier was stuttering and making strange noises as the three walked down the old musty corridor. By the time they reached the door to the Hall of the Wroth God, the solider was quite literally shaking in his boots.

Basch looked back at Larsa and nodded while Larsa grinned and turned to the soldier. "I hope you're ready for this. I hear that all who have faced this foul demon have not returned. However, as future king I must extinguish this menace once and for all." Larsa's act was perfect, it gave the exact image of a crazy Prince about to plunge one of his Soldier into the heart of a deadly battle.

The solider stood still, either too afraid to move or still deciding on whether or not his loyalty and pride were more important than his life. However, once the door was opened, and the foul Hell Wyrm roared like a demon spat from the very bowels of Hell, that soldier named Michael was long gone.

Basch and Larsa spent a few seconds chortling at the poor Soldier before they got to the matter at hand. "Basch, I assume you called for reinforcements. You are a skilled swords man but no hume could take on this demon by himself." Larsa said seriously as he looked up at Basch, keeping one eye on the Hell Wyrm as it waited for them to get within reach of its attack.

"Did someone call for back up!?" Larsa turned around to see Vaan and Penelo standing just a ways behind them in the corridor.

Larsa grinned and turned to Basch, "Thank you Basch, and Godspeed." Basch nodded to him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Larsa briefly hugged Basch to his surprised and raced out of the corridor and straight through the Sochen Cave Palace without so much as a hitch in order to catch Ashe's ship in the Tchita uplands.

"Lady Ashe! You shouldn't be in here, it's dangerous with all the machinery running!!" Ashe looked up to find one of the ships mechanics looking down at her from a catwalk several feet above her head.

Ashe grinned and shouted back over the loud hum and babble of ships mechanisms, "I just felt taking a walk and wondered in! I'll find my way out soon! Thank you!!" Ashe grinned up at the man and watched him blush slightly and walk away with a curt nod, his clothes stained with oil and his hands covered in thick leather gloves like all the other workers.

Ashe waited until he was completely out of sight before she turned on her heel and began heading out the engine room. As she walked along a cat walk, she saw a wrench on the floor and she smiled as she looked around for signs of any on lookers before she discretely kicked the wrench off the cat walk and into a mess of turning gears and chains. She watched as the wrench got caught in the gears and tangled up the chains until the entire network of gears and chains came to a screeching halt. Ashe smirked and said, "Oops..." before she walked on off the cat walk and out of the engine room.

Larsa huffed slightly and stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He could just see Lady Ashe's ship sitting on a hill a little ways off in The Highlands. He grinned as he relished in the feeling of the warm afternoon sun on his face as the breeze blew gently over him, ruffling his hair and clothes. He remembered the last time he'd been to the Tchita uplands. He was with Kira at the time. He remembered how they had raced through the Sochen Cave Palace and how she'd tackled him to the floor when she realized he was winning. Larsa chuckled slightly as he thought of how she could be a sore loser sometimes.

He smiled as he imagined her, standing there beside him, her flaming red hair blowing in the wind her flawless beauty enhanced by the glow of the afternoon sun. Larsa sighed and shook his head to clear his thoughts and to remind himself why he was even there to begin with.

As Ashe walked down the corridors of her ship towards the command room where she ordered the boy soldier watching the cameras to step aside and let her do it. She gave him no room for questioning or arguing as she nearly shoved him out of the chair and sat down, beaming all the while. Ashe grinned at him and told him that she'd be fine on her own and just as he'd finally given up and headed out of the control room to find something to do, Ashe caught sight of a stowaway in the cargo bay and smiled. _Kira taught him well._

It was an unpleasant ride for Larsa in the cargo bay of Ashe's ship as all manner of things got tossed around, including luggage, tools, mechanical parts and an assortment of other seemingly ordinary items that had all tried to kill him as they tossed and turned in the moving ship. Most of the bigger, bulkier things were tied down but that didn't mean they were of any help either. By the time they reached Rabanastre, Larsa was a little more than bruised and had a splitting headache.

He didn't let any of the consequences bother him, however. He slipped out of the cargo bay as soon as he felt the ship land and swiftly made his way to Low Town. Larsa slowed his pace slightly as he reached the South gate door to Low Town and sighed. He was rather hoping that he wouldn't have to visit Low Town again any time soon, but he needed to find something, anything that could help him connect Kira to the Senate in some way or another, something that could help him make sense of things.

Larsa pushed forward and headed down into Low Town. The first person he saw was I small orphan girl whose name was Danielle and he smiled at her. Danielle's eyes widened suddenly and she ran over to him and hugged him tightly. "Lamont!!! What are you doing here?! And where's Kira?!"

Larsa smiled down at her sadly and said, "I don't know where Kira is I'm sorry, and I'm only here on business."

The little girl pouted and said with a sad voice, "Something bad is happening again isn't it?" Larsa's smile faded slightly. It was amazing how insightful the children in Low Town could be. He sighed and looked down at her, realizing sadly that she reminded him very much of Tihana. Danielle was Tihana's elder by two years and had similar blue eyes with a more greenish twinge to them and light brown curly hair usually pulled back into a short pony tail. He hadn't noticed the resemblance before, but now that he had it was almost painful to look at her much less talk to her.

Larsa sighed and attempted a calming smile before he said to her, "You've nothing to worry about, Kira and I will take care of everything alright." It was likely that Larsa himself was putting more hope and faith into his words than Danielle was. Danielle nodded slowly before she let go of him and ran off in some random direction to go about her jolly ways.

Larsa watched her run off and sighed slowly before he nodded slightly to himself and made his way to Old Dalan's place. Larsa made sure to avoid prying eyes and people that he knew would stop him to talk like Kytes or any of the older orphans as he entered Old Dalan's place.

Larsa closed the door quietly behind him and looked around. The place was bare, they'd taken down the tapestry of matted carpets and torn towels and removed the many futons that used to lie on the floor in the back of the house. They'd only left the furniture including the table that sat opposite the door, his dresser and the chair that he always sat on which now supported a small shrine lit with multiple candles and dripping with wax. The place had been scrubbed clean, everything from the walls to the chair itself, the only thing that was left untouched was the small shrine.

Larsa sighed and guessed that it was the orphans that put it together and he smiled when he read the small engraved caption on the wooden shrine.

_For Old Dalan & Tihana_

_We love you and never we forget you!_

Larsa's smile widened as he read the hand carved message and the bad language skills of the orphans in Low Town. He chuckled slightly and shook his head thinking of how they weren't paying enough attention in their classes.

He turned away from the small shrine and looked around the room. _I'll check his desk first to see if there's some sort of clue, documents, anything that could possibly tie him to the Archadian Senate._ Larsa thought as he moved over to the desk and began rifling through the drawers in search of any important papers or documents, anything that could help him understand what Kira and Old Dalan have to do with the Archadian Senate.

After a minute or so of riffling through scrap paper covered in haphazard drawings of crystals and magicks drawn by the orphans, Larsa gave up on the desk and headed to Old Dalan's dresser instead. Larsa hastily riffled through the first drawer, and found nothing; he sifted through the second drawer and found nothing, unless you want to count a pair of stained trousers that he was rather afraid to touch; he waded through the third drawer which was full of his old clothes and found nothing but fabric.

Larsa sighed and wondered if he should even bother looking through the last drawer which was reserved for just his medication. There wasn't much chance of him finding any sort of documents in there, but, better safe than sorry they say. Larsa opened the last drawer, stooping down in order to be on level with it and began to look through the different vials and bottles, most of which were either empty or half full.

Larsa was about to flop down on his back and groan in frustration when something extra shiny caught his eye. Most of old Dalan's medication was bought in Rabanastre or Bhujerba and sometimes in Archadia, but because of sky rocketing prices in Archadia especially for medicine, they hadn't bought any recently, so there shouldn't be any medicine from Archadia in Old Dalan's stash. _And yet here is a vial of Archadian medicine sitting pretty among Old Dalan's medication..._ Larsa pondered this development as he lifted the bottle out of the drawer and began to examine it more closely. Larsa stood slowly as he read the label on the bottle and he felt the gears in his brain stop for a moment, the very notion of the fact over loading his cerebrum.

Larsa could hardly believe what he was seeing. He turned the vial over in his hands and took note of the fact that it was empty. Larsa bit his lip hard enough to draw blood as he realized that this vial was in fact a vial of Archadian poison and that Old Dalan did not simply die of old age or of sickness; he was murdered, murdered by the Senate of Archadia. Larsa swallowed hard; it was all his fault. He was the one that insisted the Senate procure a good doctor for Old Dalan, he was the one that laid the path to Old Dalan for the Senate. He killed him.

Larsa felt the poison vial slip from his hands and clatter to the floor, as he hung his head, his eyes burning with tears of regret and anger. Larsa mentally slapped himself, trying in vane to convince himself that it was not his fault but the Senate's. The Senate, no Rossi was the one that killed Old Dalan, they are responsible for his death and Kira's suffering. _But for what reason would they need to kill Old Dalan? What sort of trouble did he have with them, how are they tied? What does this all have to do with Kira? If the senate wanted something from Old Dalan, then why would they kill him? ...No...they want something from Kira, not Old Dalan...most likely Old Dalan was in their way, with Old Dalan gone and Kira weakened by the loss of her father and my absence, she'd be easy prey. They killed Old Dalan to get to Kira! _

Larsa could feel his hatred boiling his anger growing to dangerous levels as his fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into his skin, the pain hardly noticed by the enraged prince as he stormed out of Old Dalan's place. He had designs to head back to Archadia and have a heated conversation with the Senate but those plans could not be executed as he felt a sudden searing pain on the back of his head; Larsa had no time to respond to the attack as his senses were clouded by rage and everything around him fell into darkness.

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To be Continued...

Hey, sry i took so so so long to update and then it's just this little piece but school has been really working me so just look forward to summer =D it'll be raining chapters by then. ^^

Thanks for reading, reviews are always welcome, although i can't promice that they'll act as catalysts right now but you know...^_^


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own...everything else is MINE! =P

OoOoO

Chapter 14

Kira gazed up at the magnificent crystal and said slowly, as if trying to make sense of it, "It couldn't be...You...this is the Sun Cryst...?"

"Yes, this is the Sun Cryst. In the time of Jagd, the cryst that you are familiar with was created in order to protect the Sun Cryst. It was merely an imitation." the man said as he lead her closer to the enormous crystal and laid a gentle hand on its sharply angled surface. Kira watched, mesmerized as the Crystal glowed and hummed at his touch as if it were reacting to his very presence.

"Jagd?" Kira asked as she looked up at him then back to the cryst.

"Jagd, was the home land of the Druids." Kira gently laid her hand on the surface of the cryst and smiled with childish glee as it glowed and hummed under her touch as well, the crystal becoming warm as it rippled slightly under her skin.

"Druids?" Kira was so entrance by the crystal that she did not realize that it had taken her a full minute to reply to the man.

"We Druids are an ancient race, not unlike humes, but very different all the same."

"We? You aren't hume?" Kira looked at him curiously; not all that surprised than there was indeed no hume man that could be as beautiful and mysteriously captivating as he.

He smiled gently at her and nodded before saying, "Indeed, I am the last...no," He paused and smiled to himself, "I am _one of_ the last of my kind. My name is Sulendii Jagd and I was once crown-prince of my nation." Kira's mind fluttered briefly to thoughts of Larsa before she was ensnared once again by his words. "We druids are very much like humes in the physical aspect." Kira blinked slightly, half expecting him to go on about how he came to be one of the last of his kind...or more importantly, why it is that Kira had never heard of these Druids before. "We grow and learn much like humes do, we are just as curious, maybe somewhat more intelligent and patient than the average hume, but we will laugh at similar humours, cry for the same tragedies, bleed of the same blade and die of the same poison.

"We druids were well known for our kindness and hospitality; but we were also loyal and chivalrous. We could adapt to changes when necessary and oppose them when there was naught to gain from it. Above all, we tried our very hardest to avoid war at all times. One could count the number of wars the nation of Jagd had ever been involved in since the beginning of time on only two hands."

"Ok...so apart from Druids being a great deal wiser than Humes...what's the difference?" Kira asked quite blatantly.

Sulendii smiled slightly and said, "There are only two true attributes that Druids have over the Humes. Firstly, upon reaching the age of thirty-five, every druid stops ageing, our bodies do not decay and old age will never reach us, yet we still die of sickness and any accident could result in untimely death, just as with the Humes. Hence, theoretically speaking, a druid could live for as long as he desired." Sulendii paused as he took note of Kira's awe-struck expression. He smiled slightly as she began gaping like a fish and decided to continue before she hurt herself. "However, It is not until a druid reaches the age of forty-five that the Sun cryst decides they have lived long enough. Not every druid dies at forty-five, but most do not live passed forty-eight."

"The Sun Cryst?" Kira asked, seeming to have finally found her voice again. "What does the Sun Cryst have to do with when a Druid dies?" She glanced at the huge crystal beside her ominously, as if expecting it to answer her.

"The druids have always believed that it is the Sun Cryst that decides when and how a druid will die. And that leads me to the second and most significant of differences between the Druids and the Humes." He continued, seeing the some what sceptical look on Kira's face, as if she were asking what could be more significant than not being able to age past thirty-five. "We Druids are able to communicate with the Cryst." he paused just barely long enough for Kira to comprehend his words, "And not only the Cryst, but other magical items as well, Magicite, Nethicite, small Crystals and magick stones, even the very myst itself." Kira watched in awe as he waved his hand through the myst that swirled around them and watched it is circled around his hand, never touching but following his every move. As he slowly drew his hand up out of the myst, a smooth milky wave of myst followed, climbing out of the sea of myst as if a huge vacuum cleaner were sucking it up. He pooled the myst he'd gathered in his hand and Kira watched, amazed, as it began to swirl and spin, going faster and faster all the while until she could hardly tell it was moving at all as all she could see was a disk of myst spinning at ridiculously high speeds. Soon the disk began to shrink and she watched, completely rapt and unaware of her own face drawing nearer and nearer to it as the disk of myst slowly contracted to a rock hard crystal, still spinning in the middle of his palm, just a centimetre away from his skin.

"We were the first to make crystals, taking the idea from the very Cryst we worshipped and the world flourished through our discovery." Sulendii watched as Kira picked the newly born crystal from his hands and felt the stone shiver under her touch, still full of excess energy from the high energy process of its making.

"That's amazing! But, I still don't understand...If these Druids were so great and powerful and invented crystals, then why is it that I've never heard of them before?" Kira asked curiously. She had long since decided that what he was telling her must be the truth, he'd given her proof enough of that, but it still didn't make sense as to why this was the first time she'd ever heard of these esteemed Druids.

Sulendii smiled at her and turned toward the cryst, placing a gently hand on its surface again before continuing. "During the earliest years, when Jagd was only just forming, it was rumoured that we Druids were sent down to Ivalice by the gods to watch over and protect the Cryst." Kira stared at him for a moment and sighed, assuming that he would eventually get to that part. "Not even the esteemed Viera could compare to our abilities to communicate with the Cryst. We treated the Cryst as though it were alive, as thought it were simply another Druid, a Queen or Princess that needed to be protected and sheltered from the world. We lived at peace with ourselves and with the Cryst. Never once did any one Druid even dream of taking the Cryst for himself and using her powers for his own selfish gain while countless other races did the very same. Even though Druids are not fond of war and conflict, we were still a force to be reckoned with when the time came to protect what was ours. Our military force was one of the most formidable and the most feared as well, for the Cryst would always be on our side, and even without the Cryst, our magical abilities have always been above average with our ability to communicate with the stones.

"For years, decades, even millennia the people of Ivalice have been absolutely captivated by our abilities to communicate with the Cryst, to be able to manipulate the Myst and create magicks the likes of which they couldn't possibly imagine doing themselves; but we Druids could never explain it to them. For us, it was just a natural occurrence, one didn't even have to think about keeping up a spell for an entire day without tiring, isn't that so Kira?" Kira blinked and looked suddenly stricken. How had the conversation turned to her? One minute he was talking about Druids and their awesomeness, and now he was looking deep into her eyes as if willing her to say something, to see something, as if he'd been trying to tell her something all this time and she didn't seem to pick it up.

"W-what...?" was Kira's intelligent answer.

Sulendii smiled and placed her hands on her shoulders gently and said to her, "Kira, haven't you found it strange how magical stones and crystals seem to just do as you ask them? Haven't you found it odd that you are the only one that could possibly be able to tell when a stone is dieing, whilst others would say that you are being silly to say that an inanimate object such as a crystal or stone could die? Don't you think it strange that whilst in the presence of myst, you always seem more affected by it than others? Is it not true that whilst you found your way down here, you felt completely relaxed, excited, full of joy and happiness, despite your situation?" Kira frowned slightly, what did he know about her situation?

"Where are you going with this?" Kira asked wearily, feeling as though someone had suddenly dragged her out on stage in the middle of a blinding spot light in front of an enormous, anxious crowd.

Sulendii smiled at her and said, "Why don't you ask the Cryst?" Kira raised an eye brow at him and he shook his head slightly, his smile widening, "You won't have to speak aloud, the communication between a Druid and the Cryst is much different from how we communicate with the rest of the world."

"So you're saying that I'm a Druid then?" Kira said, her voice so laced with scepticism it was hard to tell if she was asking a question or not.

"See for yourself." Sulendii smiled at her and stood back giving her room to get closer to the Cryst.

Kira's eye brow had yet to descend from it's perch atop her head as she reluctantly moved closer to the Cryst. Kira stared at the Cryst for a moment and thought about everything Sulendii had just told her. _If I am indeed a druid, then that would explain my superior magical abilities, but, do I really want to know if I'm a Druid or not? What would it mean if I found out that I'm not really a Hume? For what purpose? Why was I lead here in the first? I'd been quite fine with not knowing until now. Why now when there are so many other...things going on right now? Was there an ulterior motive? Would my knowing my true heritage serve some purpose? And if so, to whom? _

Suddenly there was a great flash and Kira saw a series of images flash through her mind. There were pictures of a woman, a regal looking woman with long flaming red hair and light purple-ish grey eyes. She was holding a baby in almost all the pictures. There were pictures of the child at different stages, first as a new born babe, then a crawling baby, then a small child no older than two; then a picture stood out amongst the hoard, The red haired woman sat with the child in front of her, floating as it examined a bright green crystal. The mother was smiling as if her toddler was not simply floating above her lap, as if such advanced magick was something any toddler could do. It wasn't until the last picture fluttered through her mind did she realized that these were pictures of herself and her mother. The last picture was moving and she could hear everything, could feel the sorrow and the pain emitting from it. Kira hardly noticed that tears were rolling down her eyes as she watched the day her mother died play over in her head like a short movie behind her eyes, completely unaware that this was now her own memories she was seeing. Kira watched as her five year old self cried and fell on top of her mother's casket, crying for her mother to come back to her, her flaming red hair, so like her own mother's, short and unkempt; her father, Old Dalan, not so old back then, tried in vain to pry her from her mother's casket before she destroyed it in her rampage.

Kira hardly had time to register the change in scenery as another set of photos began to flit it's way through her bruised mind. These pictures were pictures of different women and men, all with the same red hair and purple-ish grey eyes as Kira and her mother. They seemed to be going back in time, following a family tree maybe or something of the sort as the people's clothing and surroundings continued to age and age until it stopped on one picture of a woman that looked almost identical to herself as she stood, her hand resting on the surface of the very Sun Cryst that sat in front of Kira now, except this woman was in the Pharos, the highest point where the imitation Sun Cryst once sat and she was looking out at what Kira thought should've been the sea around her, but instead she was looking out at a marvellous city, wide and vast, full of life and magick; and Kira somehow knew that she was looking out at the city of Jagd through the eyes of her ancestor.

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own...everything else is MINE! =P

OoOoO

Chapter 15

Kira blinked back burning tears as she found herself suddenly staring into the Sun Cryst once again as the image of her ancestor dissolved from her mind. Kira stood there, staring at the Cryst for a long time, trying in vain to make sense of what she'd just seen and why she had seen it.

She turned slowly to face Sulendii and asked him, as if hoping that if he said yes it would mean she wasn't going crazy. "Did...did you see that?"

"Of course not, the Cryst was speaking to you, not I." He said off handedly, as if it were the most obvious thing. "But I assume that you understand now that your are indeed a descendant of the Druids?"

Kira did not respond immediately. "but...this...why did you bring me here? I was quite fine not knowing. Why are you showing me these things?" Kira sounded desperate and confused. She was suddenly uncomfortable in their presence.

Sulendii seemed surprised for a moment but smiled all the same, his soft expression calming her some what. "Did you not want to know Kira? Why it is that you were so different? Who your mother was and why she had to leave whilst you were so young?"

Kira hesitated. "Well...yes but..."

"We need you Kira." Kira looked slightly taken aback. "For years, decades they have been planning and deciding, searching and biding their time. Now that their plans are complete, they are ready to strike, to completely strip us of everything, as thought they hadn't had enough already."

Kira was confused now. She hadn't the slightest idea as to what he was talking about. "What are you..."

"The Sun Cryst will show you." he said, cutting her off, "The reason why you and I are the last of our race." Kira hardly had time to ponder how the Cryst was going to show her this before a flood of images began to swell in her mind again. Each image flew passed her mind's eye in quick succession as if something was riffling through them before it stopped suddenly on one particular image.

The picture was of a grand wedding. There were white, yellow and red flowers everywhere with gold, scarlet and silver banners hanging from tall marble columns holding up a long open hall way with a high arched ceiling. Around the hall was a large, glorious garden with rose bushes of every possible and impossible colour, from white roses to blue roses and some were even a dark purplish colour; the garden also had trees of all sizes scattered around; there were fountains as well, some sparkling white, others a burnished bronze colour upon which stood cute statues of cupids and angels. At the end of the Arched hall stood an alter, seeming slightly out of place amidst the greenery in his pearly white glory while rows of soft white and silver chairs sat on each side of the arched hall, each being occupied by one generally fancily dressed high class citizen.

Walking down the arched hall was undoubtedly the bride. Kira watched as she walked, (only just realizing that the picture was now moving) the train of her pure white dress swishing delicately and weightlessly behind her despite its ridiculous length. The dress was stunningly beautiful as it shimmered in the early morning sunlight, but even in all it's glory, it couldn't possibly hope to compare to the beauty of the bride wearing it. She had long wavy white blonde hair that shimmered like the early morning sun on the gentle waves of the sea, adorned with strings of pearls and precious jewels and one thin, delicately woven tiara, made of what look like crystal string with one large blue green pearl sitting atop the structure. Her eyes were a light grey with a twinge of lavender, just like Kira's.

Somehow, as she watched the beautiful bride walk down the aisle, Kira knew that she was the Princess of Jagd, named Rahimateh Julia Jagd, getting married to the Prince of Bancour, named Christos Von Bancour. It was as if the information was injected into her brain and Kira shivered slightly at the thought. She looked up to the man on alter waiting for his beautiful bride and found that he had flaming red hair and light blue eyes similar to Sulendii's and Kira was told then that he was hume. The scene changed briefly to a picture of a man with silvery white long hair and eyes just like Rahimateh's except his were darkened by age and Kira learned that he was her father Sulendii Jagd, King of Jagd.

Sulendii was speaking to a man in this clip, a man she instantly recognized as the Dynast King himself, King Raithwall. Somehow Kira suddenly knew that they were debating on whether or not they should allow Rahimateh and Christos to be married. It was decided that it would be allowed and that the two nations would be joined and Jagd's responsibility shared.

_What responsibility?_ Kira's question was answered instantly as a piece of paper suddenly floated in front of her minds eye. Kira didn't have to read it as she felt the knowledge being planted into her mind and she gasped slightly as she took stock of it.

The paper was a treaty, it was The Galtean Alliance Treaty.

Historians all over Ivalice would tell you that the treaty made mention to five major nations, Archadia, Rossaria, Dalmasca, Nabradia and Bhujerba. The Alliance was ruled by the Dynast King, King Raithwall, and when he fell, the Treaty fell with him. They would also tell you that Dalmasca was left in charge of the Sun Cryst. But this treaty, this treaty that was dated even before the ones historians would tell you about spoke of something almost completely different.

This Treaty made mention to _seven_ major nations, Archadia, Rossaria, Dalmasca, Nabradia, Bhujerba, Bancour and Jagd. This treaty also stated that if the Alliance were to fall after its King, King Raithwall, then the Sun Cryst was to be left in the hands of the Druids. It said nothing about Dalmasca or any pieces of the Cryst that were to be cut off. It simply stated that the Sun Cryst belonged to the Druids and no other.

The paper disappeared from Kira's mind's eye and an imaged of a thriving city replaced it. Kira knew that she was looking at the city of Jagd under the rule of King Christos and Queen Rahimateh. Druids and Humes began to cross breed then and prejudice and racism began to grip the nation as pure humes were treated better than half breeds by other humes and pure druids were labelled as snobbish and generally stayed away from conflict rather than acting as peacemakers as they should've been.

The image moved from the city to within the castle walls and Kira saw two children, roughly the same age and very different, one was a boy with silvery white hair and icy blue eyes with a dark ring around them. Kira instantly recognized him as Sulendii, while the other was a girl with flaming red hair and light greyish purple eyes just like her own. Kira knew then that they were twins, the children of Christos and Rahimateh. One named Sulendii Jagd, after his grandfather, the other, Kirharesh Jagd, Kira's ancestor.

There was suddenly a time skip and King Christos stood at the head of a long table where all of his most trusted generals and captains sat. Kira learned that he was planning a coup. Apparently the people of Jagd were more loyal to their Queen than to their King.

Kira learned that King Christos had designs to start a civil war, but to pit his meagre hume military force against the formidable force of the Druids was a foolish plan, so he turned to Rossaria for help, offering them money and land as compensation. The Rossarians refused however, claiming they wanted nothing to do with their war, fearing what sort of trouble they might get into with King Raithwall. King Christos then turned to Nabradia, but they also refused. He didn't dare go to Dalmasca as word of his treachery would instantly reach the ears of their Dynast King and then to those of his wife so instead the turned to the Archadians. The Archadians agreed to assist him but at a steep price. They wanted half the land under Archadian rule and access to the Cryst's power.

Kira winced as she saw images of a terrible war flash across her mind and knowledge of the events poured into her mind. The Archadian and Christos' men had invaded Jagd and were fighting against the Druids. It was a messy affair. Many innocent people died during the war. Women, children, elderly, Druid, Hume, it didn't matter, it was just a blood bath.

During the midst of the chaos, Christos stabbed Rahimateh and left her for dead, assuming she could not survive the fatal blow, but the Cryst had greater plans for the Queen. With was was left of her strength and sanity, Rahimateh climbed to the highest peak of the Pharos, to the imitation Sun Cryst.

Kira watched in terrified awe as the entire nation of Bancour-Jagd was engulfed in blinding light emitted by the most powerful magick she'd ever whitnessed. Kira winced as the light suddenly imploded with an ear-splitting crack that she swore could've been heard all across Ivalice. As the light dissipated and what was left was visible, Kira heard herself gasp and a hand flew to her mouth instinctively to prevent herself from screaming as she took in the huge crater that once was the nation of Bancour-Jagd. The only thing left standing was what she recognized as the Ridorana Cataract where the Queen of Jagd lay dead before the imitation Sun Cryst.

Suddenly Kira's vision was clear and she found herself staring at the Sun Cryst through tears threatening to pour out of her.

"I was the only survivor. I had run to the Nu mou to beg for their help in the Paramina Rift when suddenly, my home simply disappeared before my very eyes." Kira turned to Sulendii, the movement causing the tears in her eyes to finally fall. Sulendii smiled however and placed a hand on her cheek using his thumb to wipe away her tears.

"When my first child was born to be the exact replica of my sister I admit I was surprised, but I was glad none the less. Ever since, the Druidian gene has successfully been transferred down the line and now, you and I are the last of our kind and the time has come for our plans to be put in motion.

"After I set my first child on his way I took refuge here with the Sun Cryst and we waited, waited for the chance to re-establish our nation, but as time went on and my line of descendants began to fade I knew that there was no longer any hope of recovering the glory we had lost. So instead, we decided to at least, ensure that no one would hunt for the power of the Sun Cryst again. Never again did I want to see so many lives lost, a nation reduced to rubble over so simple a thing as greed. Men hungry for power would do anything to obtain it and for every power hungry man, that power was the Sun Cryst. So we made sure that no one would ever search for it again."

Kira's eyes widen suddenly and she looked up at Sulendii sharply and said, "You were the cause. You started the war four years ago?" Kira was shocked and some how hurt and disappointed.

Sulendii looked taken aback slightly and shook his head, "No, no we would never start a war, but it was indeed our fault. You see, we over rated the hume and assumed that he would be able to do as we asked without starting a war of some kind as they were so famous for, but alas, things got out of hand. But our initial goal was achieved in the end and the imitation Sun Cryst was destroyed. The Cryst had warned me of choosing an Archadian to do the job, but alas I had too much faith in them. It has been decided between us that Archadian can no longer be trusted under any circumstances."

Kira frowned slightly and said, "Aww come on, I know Vayne was a punk and those guys that helped destroyed Jagd can;t be forgiven any time soon, but not all Archadians are bad."

"Ah but you see my child, these are not the only felonies the Archadians have committed against us." Sulendii said solemnly.

"What? Well what else is there?" Kira asked, wondering just what else there could be.

Sulendii sighed heavily and said, "I think it best you see for yourself." Kira almost rolled her eyes and steeled her self for another mental onslaught of images but was instead greeted by the familiar feeling of being squeezed like an orange and opened her eyes to find herself in Old Dalan's house.

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own...everything else is MINE! =P

OoOoO

Chapter 16

"Larsa, what do you think you're doing?" Larsa cringed as he heard the voice of his fiancée from somewhere behind him. Larsa straightened up and turned to face her in the darkness of his study.

"How did you know I was here?" He was slightly impressed to say the least that she'd found him considering that none of his quote en quote body guards even knew he was gone.

"You weren't in your room, where else would you be. What I don't understand is how you got here without being seen, or better yet, why you would even bother leaving your room." Catherine said harshly, unable to understood why Larsa couldn't simply obey his orders, why he couldn't see that the Senate only had his best interests at heart.

Larsa sighed heavily and said to her, "I need answers Catherine."

"Answers to what? First you tell me you're off to vanquish some demon, then I hear that you were really off to Rabanastre again. You lied to me Larsa! I can't believe you would do such a thing! You went to find Kira didn't you! I can't understand what it is about that fiend that's gotten you so..."

"Hey!" Larsa shouted finally, unable to concentrate on picking the lock on Kairos' cage with her voice ringing in his ears. "Stop it Catherine! I can understand that you're upset. I lied yes, but for good reason!"

"Oh good reason? Good reason so that what? So that you could go out gallivanting with that whore again!" Catherine was beyond livid and Larsa himself was beginning to feel more angry than guilty as he listen to her choice of words.

He gritted his teeth turned to face her before saying, "I did not go to see Kira! I haven't even the faintest idea where the hell she is! I was searching in Low Town for a clue, a sign anything that might tie her and Old Dalan to the Senate and you know what I found Catherine? Do you have any idea what I discovered today?"

Catherine still looked livid, but scared as well, having never seen Larsa this riled up before. She winced as she heard Kairos, woken by their loud voices, screech into the night air and flap around in his cramped cage. Catherine shook her head slightly, suddenly unable to voice her thoughts, and watched Larsa's lips twitch into an aggravated snarl. He hung his head and balled his hands into fists taking a deep, supposedly calming, breath before he looked back up at her and said, " They killed Old Dalan Catherine. They killed Kira's father in order to get to her. For them to go to such lengths means that this... this whole plan that they have … it's far bigger than either of us could've imagined and even more dangerous. I need to get down to the bottom of this Catherine, before anyone else is hurt.

"Please understand Catherine. I am in the dark and I feel a desperate need to know. I am vulnerable and powerless in my current state and the Senate knows that. These rules and regulations they've put up for me are only there to ensure that I don't get in their way. Right now, our only hope of stopping them, is by breaking the rules."

Catherine stared up at him, most likely still unable to fully comprehend what he was saying, her entire life having been successfully run by rules up until now. Larsa watched her for a moment and inwardly groaned as he watched her eyes swell up with tears. He sighed and reached for her shoulders, pulling her into a warm hug. Catherine wasted no time in wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest as the tears began to fall.

"It's not fair! Why does all of this have to happen when we're supposed to get married? I don't understand what's going on at all! This isn't the way it was supposed to go! We were supposed to get married and sign the Treaty and we'd all live happily ever after!" Catherine moaned into Larsa chest and she was surprised when she felt Larsa chuckle.

"Oh Catherine, there's no such thing as 'happily ever after', I thought you knew that." Catherine leaned away from him, shocked by his words and just how serious he was as she gazed up at him through teary eyes. Larsa held her by her shoulders and held eye contact with her for a moment, staring into her soft jade green eyes, boring into them as if he was willing her to understand him.

Larsa let her go after a moment's silence and without a word returned to his work of unlocking Kairos' cage, sincerely hoping that no one heard their recent shouting match. Once his cage was open Kairos shot out, screeching loudly, and did one lap around the roof of the study before landing on Larsa's outstretched arm.

"Kairos be quiet please!" Larsa hissed at his bird only to hear him caw loudly in response. Larsa groaned inwardly and instead reached for the letter he'd written to Lady Ashe and tied it around his leg, he then thought better of it and rolled it into a tight roll and put it in Kairos' beak. "Please Kairos, get this to Ashe as soon as you can. You know what to do should you be intercepted." Larsa whispered to him.

Kairos cawed a little more softly in response, seeming to finally pick up the espionage vibe Larsa was trying to convey to him. Larsa smoothed the feathers on his head and smiled at his beloved pet before he walked to the window, opened it and quite literally threw Kairos out the window. The hawk screeched into the night air and was out of sight sooner than he was out of earshot.

"Why a letter to Lady Ashe? Why not Kira?" Catherine asked as she stood behind him, wiping her tears.

"Kira most likely wouldn't know even half of what we do especially considering that she is currently in hiding. If she did know anything, then so would I. I have asked Lady Ashe to dig into Old Dalan's history, see if there's anything that could possibly tie them to the Senate or Archadia even for that matter. Hopefully there'll be something in there that can enlighten us as to what it is the Senate wants with Kira." Larsa said as he leaned on the window sill staring out into the midnight sky.

There was a long pause between them, an uncomfortable silence that seemed to slowly become pregnant until suddenly the door burst open and a guard came bursting in. Catherine jumped and swivelled around to face him as he stumbled into the room.

"Ah, Mi Lady, sorry to disturb you, I just thought I heard something." The guard looked sleepy and had dried drool running down the side of his mouth.

Catherine furrowed her brow and glanced back at the window to see that Larsa had mysteriously disappeared and turned back to the soldier with a quirked brow. She remembered him, he was fast asleep in front of the study door when she'd found her way there searching for Larsa. For all the noise they'd made to only just wake him up he must've been having a very deep dream.

Catherine smiled at him however and said, "No worries, I was just looking around...I ah...I think I left my quill in here by accident so I was just looking for it." It felt strangely satisfying, the fact that she was able to come up with a suitable and effective lie to cover for Larsa.

"Oh...well, Hey! What about that bloody bird? Where's it got to?" Catherine furrowed her brow in annoyance. _How dare he speak to me in that manner?_ Catherine thought as she stood akimbo and stared aghast at the guard.

"Well, he was making such a racket I thought I would simply let it out. As soon as I opened the cage it flew straight out the window." Catherine said so matter of factly that the guard stuttered slightly in response. A murmured apology could be heard through the babble and Catherine said, "Yes well, apology accepted, now if you don't mind I need to search for my quill."

The guard blushed darkly and hastily exited the room closing the door behind him with another soft apology. "Not bad, not bad at all. I think I've become a bad influence on you."

Catherine spun around to find Larsa sliding down off the window sill and smiled sheepishly. "Yes well...it would cause trouble I suppose if you were found, wouldn't it?"

Larsa smiled at her and said, "Yes it would and I thank you greatly for not ratting me out." Larsa kissed Catherine gently on the cheek and smiled wider as she blushed darkly and stuttered non-sense as she fumbled with the folds of her dress. "I have fulfilled my purpose, however, and must return to my quarters so I bid you good night Princess."

Larsa bowed to her dramatically before heading off in some seeming random direction. Catherine scoffed at his silliness then she furrowed her brow and said, "How are you going to get out if the guard is awake now?"

Larsa turned to Catherine as he stopped in front of the bare wall of his study. He grinned at her and said, "The same way I got in." Catherine furrowed her brow and gasped slightly as Larsa kicked out a piece of the wall behind him and swung himself into the abyss beyond.

Catherine huffed and shook her head as the wall closed itself back and thought of how it was suddenly no mystery how Larsa and Kira could get around the castle without being seen. That night, both Larsa and Catherine slept more or less peacefully without the faintest idea of the horrors they would have to face the next morning.

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own...everything else is MINE! =P

OoOoO

Chapter 17

Kira stood there, looking around wondering why they would've teleported her here of all places. "Why here...this...this is the last place I want to be right now..." Kira whispered to herself. She felt her throat closing up and her heart begin to pound in her chest as she smelt the family scent of burning incense and moulding carpets, she could almost hear Caleb meowing at her feet, Tihana, calling her 'Mommy' and hugging her tightly, her perfect little ball of energy.

Kira shook herself out of her reverie and sniffed back the tears as she looked around the room, trying to discern why Sulendii would've sent her here. She spotted Old Dalan's chair and the small shrine sitting on it and smiled broadly as she read the hand carved inscription. As she made her way over to it, she felt her foot kick something. It sounded like a glass bottle.

Kira furrowed her brow and as she bent down to follow the small bottle as it rolled under the table, she noticed that Old Dalan's medicine draw was open. _Someone was here..._ Kira thought seriously as she gazed at the drawer curiously. She turned back to the glass bottle and reached for it. She picked it up and realized that it was in fact a medicine vial, a little bit shinier than the others but there didn't seem to be anything particularly suspicious about it.

Kira picked up the empty vial and turned it over it her hands and noted that it was slightly cracked, as though someone had dropped it and left it there. She turned to the label and read it. She read it again. She rubbed her eyes and read it again.

_This is a joke right...? Why...what in heaven's name is a bottle of Archadian poison doing in Old Dalan's place? Why..._ Kira thought it over and suddenly remembered the last thing Sulendii said to her before she was teleported here. "Those are not the only felonies the Archadians have committed against us."

_They killed him._ Kira stood up slowly from her stooped position, the empty poison vial clutched tightly in her fist. _They killed my father._ Kira twitched and the crack in the glass vial lengthened with a defining crunch. _They killed Tihana. _Kira's eyes closed themselves and she could feel hot myst burning through her system, her very core. _They've taken everything away from me! Me and my people!_ Kira's fist completely crushed the vial as it exploded into a thousand and one shards of glass, most of which embedded themselves into her hand.

_Archadians. The Archadian Senate, they took everything from me! They killed everything I ever loved! I must have Revenge!_

Slowly, Kira opened her eyes and she hardly noticed as the last of her cognitive skills left her.

_Kill..._

_ Kill... _

_KILL THEM ALL!_

It was hardly a second later that Kira found herself standing in front of the main gates of House Solidor Palace, the last of her teleport stones used up, and her mind completely unable to realize the fact that it would've been much easier to go through the back or even that what she was doing was wrong to begin with.

The guards at the door jumped at her sudden appearance and hurried to collect their sleepy selves, it was only just day break and most likely the inhabitants of the castle were all asleep. _Not for long._

Kira ignored their shouts as they demanded to know who she was and how she got there without so much as a Sandal wood chop. She wasted no time in blasting them and the gate away as she sauntered up the steps and into front gardens, her dark, rage driven magic reverberating in the once quiet morning air.

Guards immediately assembled in front of the huge double oak doors and aimed their guns at the intruder, alarms and sirens going off instantly within and outside the castle. They opened fire all at once, hoping to stop her advance but they only succeeded in developing a large dust cloud around her, barring her from their view.

"Hold your fire! Hold your fire you idiots!" A Judge had arrived. He pushed his way through the soldiers to get a better look at the situation. He examined the heavy dust cloud and realized, mortified that it was frozen in time, as though someone had cast _stop_ on the dust particles themselves. He turned to the nearest soldier and said, "What the hell is going on here?"

"I don't know sir! All I know is that some 'at blasted the gate away and I believe he's..." the soldier was cut off however as a long thin icicle suddenly burst through the frozen dust cloud and drove its way through his chest, the sheer force of the impact sending him flying a good couple meters away from the Judge he was speaking to.

The Judge gasped and swivelled around, ready to take charge and order the men to fire but he was too slow as he came practically nose to nose with Kira, the very sight of her expressionless eyes clouded by myst, knocking the wind out of him before he was suddenly engulfed in flames. He and every man that stood between her and the door had burnt to a crisp by the time Kira burst her way into the Palace.

As she entered she heard the distinct sound of the palace alarms sounding and watched as a platoon worth of Archadian soldiers and dogs burst through a door on her left and another group that was worth two platoons burst through a door on her right.

Kira's expression remained completely neutral, as she took a deep breath and readied her magic of choice. She hardly batted an eye lash as the entire room froze over, every man stuck in place, unable to move or breath, the cold of the ice piecing their very hearts. Kira only melted away a path for herself as she made her way out of the Entrance hall, her subconscious leading her feet through her knowledge of the castle.

As she entered a hall way, she found another group of soldiers heading her way. Kira pulled out her dagger and practically danced her way through them, her blade glowing white hot as it tore through steel, flesh and bone alike, leaving a trail of massacred bodies behind her as she continued on her way, her mind lost to the insanity of rage, the myst having completely taken over.

"Judge Basch! Bloody Hell! Nothing's stopping him! He's cut down soldiers, dogs and Judges alike! He can't be hume!"

"Calm yourself son! Is he alone?" Basch said as he placed a heavy hand on the boy soldier's shoulder. He was currently in the control room where every soldier's and Judge's movements were monitored and so far, not one person was able to stand up to this sudden attack, not one of their men lasted more than a few seconds in the face of this formidable and disturbingly random foe .

"Yes sir!"

Basch clucked his tongue and said, "Give me his position."

"You can't seriously be going after him can you sir? You know what he did to Judge Hamlin!"

"Give me his position! That's an order." Basch said firmly as he stared the boy down. The boy gulped and did a quick scan for the intruder's new position.

"Just outside the west hospital wing sir. Going down corridor three." Basch stormed out of the control room, slamming his judges helmet on as he went.

_How could this be? Who the hell is this man? Why is he here? Could he be after Lord Larsa? Or perhaps Lady Catherine? There are definitely some that are against their betrothal, but to go to such lengths? To attack the House Solidor Palace, alone and through the front door no less is a suicide mission...even though this man seems to be doing quite well so far... _ Basch thought grimly as he tore through the castle heading to the west wing.

He stopped dead however, as he found himself in a hall way he once thought he knew. But now, that hall way was grossly redecorated. Bodies, some whole, some not, littered the floor, blood soaked the walls and the tapestries, dripping from paintings and even the ceiling. Basch covered his mouth as he nearly stepped on the face of a soldier he could no longer even recognize and made up his mind that he had to find this mad man. He needed to stop this madness!

It were as if the war had started all over again._ Where the hell did this attack come from? One day it's perfectly peaceful, the next it's a blood bath in the corridors! Did this have anything to do with the Senate? And more importantly, what monster could commit such an atrocity?_

And before Basch knew it, and most likely before he was ready to know it, his question was answered. Basch watched in utter shock and horror as Kira tore a soldier apart, casting _blizzaga_ from inside his stomach, ripping him to shreds and raining blood everywhere. He stared, unable to believe as Kira turned to face him, her entire being covered in blood, some of it her own, but the rest belonged to half the Castle's infantry.

Basch stood there, too shocked to realize that he had now become Kira's target, too shocked to realize that Kira was not herself, too shocked to really notice her as she advanced on him, deftly wading through the sea of dead bodies around her.

It was not until he'd mumbled her name did he realize that he would not get out of this alive unless he fought back. Basch just barely managed to dodge Kira's blade as she swung at him, her eyes clouded by what looked like myst, her mind obviously blocked. Kira's expression never changed as she jumped back and cast _graviga_ on Basch.

Basch gasped as he felt half of his life leave him, the weight of the spell carrying him to the ground. He reached for the nearest weapon with which he could protect himself, but was slightly surprised when Kira simply walked over him and sent a torrent of flames down a corridor full of Archadian soldiers. Basch gritted his teeth as he heard their screams of agony and watched as Kira disappeared amidst the flames, walking through it as if it were only air.

"Catherine! Are you alright?" Larsa looked even more haggard than he had in the past few days as he skidded into his study outside of which a platoon's worth of soldiers and dogs standing guard.

Catherine shot up from her position in a chair by his desk and hugged him tightly. "Oh Larsa! What's going on! Is it Kira?"

"What? How could Kira possibly be responsible for this?" Larsa said loudly, astounded that Catherine could even suggest such a thing.

"Well I don't even know what's going on! No one's had the decency to tell me. I was just lieing there fast asleep and all of a sudden these guards are dragging me out of my bed saying some crap about a safer place to stay! What the hell is..." Catherine was cut off however as a soldier suddenly burst into the room.

"Mi' Lord! We've lost contact with the entire west wing sir! Something's jamming the reception crystals!"

Larsa's brow furrowed and he placed a firm hand on Catherine's shoulder, giving her a brief meaningful look before turning to the soldier and asking, "What about the cameras? Are they out as well?"

"Not exactly sir. They're working but we can't see anything, it's almost as if the entire west wing is flooded with myst sir..." Soldier said, his skin visibly draining of colour as he told Larsa the latest update.

It was simply unimaginable. Larsa had been sound asleep in his bed this morning when suddenly the intruder alarm goes off and not minutes later guards are storming into his room claiming that a deadly threat has entered the castle and that they are trying, apparently in vain, to keep it at bay.

"Larsa...?" Larsa turned back to Catherine and sighed.

"We're under attack Catherine." she gasped and a frightened look washed over her face. "We have no idea who or what it is. All we know is that it appeared in front of the castle this morning maybe an hour or so ago. The guards at the cab station and check points that everyone must go through before reaching this palace say they had seen no one that morning and so we have no idea how they could've got in."

"Well how does..." Catherine stopped and leaned in closer to Larsa so that no one else could hear her. "how does Kira get in?"

Larsa glanced at her in surprise and said, "She can teleport without a teleport crystal, most times she just teleports herself into the gardens and goes from there. Perhaps there are others out there with he extraordinary powers, and if that is the case then we've got our work cut out for us."

Catherine Furrowed her brow slightly and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Larsa glanced at Catherine and sighed before walking her to a window near a far off corner where no one could hear them. "Kira...Kira is very special. She can perform magicks like I've never seen before. She could hold up a _protect_ spell all day without even trying, she knows things about crystals and myst. When we go on hunts in mysty places she knows exactly where to find the monster based on the type or feeling of the myst around her and the type of monster we're after. She knows when a stone has reached it's limits and how best to use it to obtain its highest potential. The strength of her magicks are maybe, ten fold that of your average person." Larsa seemed so totally enthralled and amazed as he described Kira's abilities that Catherine couldn't help the twinge of jealousy she felt tugging at her heart. "that power of hers is unstable though. Over the years she learned how to control it, or rather to just keep it in check. The thing is, with such great power like that, you can't just have and instantly know how to use it. Kira doesn't know how to control her power so she keeps it under lock and key, but if that lock were to be broken..." Larsa trailed off and stopped to think for a moment before he said, "It had only ever happened once before. Kira told me about it after we'd started hunting together. It was during a time not long before Vayne was consul in Rabanastre. Some of the Archadian guards had raped a group of young girls from Low Town, killing them all in the process except one. The one that survived was Tihana's mother, and one of Kira's best friends." Larsa paused as Catherine gasped and covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide with shock. "The other four that were killed were also close to her. When Kira found out...she snapped. Back then she was only eleven and hardly had a proper hold on the immense power that slept within her so she rampaged. She'd killed over a hundred men that night and destroyed half the arsenal without killing a single innocent person. There was debris everywhere, bodies strewn all over Low Town as she murdered every soldier stationed there, and then some how she'd found her way into the arsenal itself without being seen, I suspect she probably teleported, and blew the place to smithereens. When she came too and discovered what she had done...well, let's just say that to this day she has nightmares about the incident." Larsa's voice had become no more than a whisper somewhere throughout the story and her watched as Catherine's eyes welled up with tears.

Catherine hiccuped slightly and shook her head before saying, "Well...if something like that has happened to her before then isn't it possible that it could happen again?"

Larsa gave Catherine a look that made her cringe and said, "I can't see how that's possible. Kira doesn't know anything, she wouldn't just snap like that for no reason."

"Well she does have a reason!" Catherine said suddenly and then gasped slightly and made an expression that clearly said that she hadn't meant to say that.

Larsa looked at her questioningly and said, "What makes you say that?"

Catherine bit her lip and fidgetted for a moment before she said, "Well...i mean, she...she cares for you a lot doesn't she? And you and I are gonna get married tomorrow, or at least we were supposed but now with ..."

"Catherine that's ludicrous. Kira isn't some silly school girl running after unrequited love! She fully understands our situation and is complacent. Besides...she doesn't see my that way..." Catherine was slightly surprised to hear the hurt in his voice as he told her that and frowned.

Catherine cast around for something, anything else that might give a reason. Suddenly she gasped and said, "What if she found out about her father?"

Larsa looked at her again through somewhat hazy eyes before breaking out of his reverie and shaking his head slightly as he said, "No. The only way she could've found out would be if..."

And as if on queue, Basch suddenly burst into the room and ploughed his way towards Larsa and Catherine.

"Larsa! You won't...I can't...!" Basch stopped beside him and took a moment to catch his breath after trying and failing to start a conversation.

"It's alright Basch, catch your breathe. Please tell me you're here with good news." Larsa said almost pleadingly as he placed a hand on Basch's shoulder.

"It's Kira..." Larsa was frozen stiff. He had just been battling all possible options that the intruder was Kira and now...

Larsa swallowed and suddenly let out a breathe he didn't he was holding and said, "What...but how..."

"I don't know but she's not herself. Something is wrong..." Basch said and Catherine felt the strongest urge to scream 'No shit Sherlock!', then she shook her head and grumbled as she realized that Larsa was indeed becoming a bad influence on her. "I saw her myself, if I hadn't reacted fast enough then she might've actually killed me." Basch said with a dark undertone in his sad voice.

Larsa sighed and stopped to think as he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. _She must've found out about Old Dalan's murder...that's the only way I could imagine that she'd have been thrown over the edge like this. Kira's strong she wouldn't lose control over nothing, but somehow it feels like there's more to this..._

Catherine and Basch stood there for a moment just watching Larsa as the gears in his mind turned and suddenly he opened his eyes and looked up at them. Basch's eyes widened with fear as he recognized the determined glint his eye and hardly had time to reach out to him before he said, "I'm going to stop her!" and tore out of the room through his secret passage in the wall.

"Don't let her reach the Senate Board room! Don't underestimate her because of her size and gender! You all saw what she did to our fellow soldiers!" The judge said as he stood before a large number of Archadian soldiers. None of them were really listening to him , however, as they watched Kira approach. They watched as she sauntered down the hall way towards them, their group the last group of soldiers between her and the Senate.

Every ten centimetres or so, a gun would unfold from the roof or a wall and open fire, but alas, every single on of them exploded into a thousand pieces before the first cartridge could even reach quarter way. Each time a gun exploded, the soldiers and the judge cringed, imagining the gun as themselves and feeling the strong urge to just turn tail and run from this demon.

"Hold your ground!" Judge shouted to his men as she drew nearer. "Hold steady..." he whispered, more to himself than to his men. They watched in horror as she approached them, drawing ever closer and closer and closer...until, finally...they realized she wasn't getting any closer at all.

The judge glanced down at his feet and all around him and was shocked as he realized that she was moving the very ground beneath them, forcing them to back away from her as she advanced on them. They realized to late however as Kira erected a solid wall of fire between herself and the group of soldiers before she turned to the door to the Senate Board room and for the first since this all begin, showed an expression, an expression of malice and fiendish glee.

Kira breathed deeply as she felt the myst completely engulf her , flowing through her system, almost as if it had replaced her very blood as it course through her like burning vengeance. She could feel the anger, the rage boiling within her, in the very pit of her stomach as the door, the last obstacle between her and the Senate exploded into million and nine splinters and the disgusting filth that was the Senate became visible to her.

Kira waltz into the room and saw only one person, despite the many frightened, guilty faces around her. "Rossi..." the name tumbled from her lips, dripping with dangerous intent as she locked eyes with the terrified man. _Kill him!_

_ Kill him!_

_ KILL HIM!_

Kira took all the myst from within her, all the rage all the power she could muster and condensed it into one long crystalline blade, dripping with poison and sharp enough to cut through bone with minimum force.

"Wait! Wait! I'll give you whatever you want! Is it money? Power, fame? Whatever it is I'll g-give it to you!" Rossi stuttered out as he drew back, almost stumbling out of his chair.

"Can you return everything that you have stolen from me and my people?" Kira said, her voice not her own as it rumbled through the room, echoing against the walls, wordlessly telling of her terrible design.

Rossi grew silent as he tried to figure out just who it was that stood in front of him. Suddenly it clicked to him however when every crystal lamp on the walls of the board room shattered, showering them all in tiny, sharp shards of crystal and glass. He knew who this was and he knew exactly why she was here and if he wasn't currently staring death in the face he would've laughed at the irony.

Upon hearing his silence Kira's malicious grin widened and she said, "Then there is nothing you have that I want and there is no way for you to stop me."

Rossi gulped and stared up into her face, her strangely beautiful yet exceedingly frightening face. He had underestimated her. They were far more powerful than anyone could've predicted, the Druids, and now Rossi was going to pay for his misdemeanours.

Now she was going to kill him.

Rossi cringed and squeezed his eye shut tight, squealing like a little girl as Kira bared her teeth, her aura like that of a vicious animal hunting for prey. She raised her blade and charged, her mind blank, her heart frozen, set on revenge, until...

"KIRA NO!" Somehow Kira, the real Kira, managed to hear Larsa's voice, managed to regain some of her sanity and recognize that whatever was happening at the moment was wrong, that she needed to stop whatever she was doing. But she couldn't, the momentum, the rage, the myst, the very need for revenge, she couldn't stop it, and before she knew it, it was too late.

Suddenly everything came back to her, her sanity, her cognitive skills, her memory. Kira stared blankly, unable to truly comprehend what was going on. Why was she standing in the middle of the Senate board room with this huge blade in her hand? Why were all the Senate members staring at her like they'd never seen anything more grotesque? _Larsa, I heard Larsa's voice, he could tell me what's been going on._ Kira thought. "Larsa...?"

Her voice was weak, it quivered, but Larsa's was even worse. "I'm sorry Kira. I...I should've told you...myself..."

Kira looked down and felt the warmth drain from her body. She couldn't believe it. The image was wrong. It was so wrong, completely inconceivable, there was no way this could be happening. Kira stared down at Larsa as his head leaned against her chest, his arms loosing wrapped around her shoulders, the blade she was holding, protruding from his back, dripping with blood, his blood.

Kira just barely heard the Senate members and soldiers around her burst into life as she watched Larsa's eyes slowly close, his expression soft, his lips curved into a small, sad smile, as if to say, "Don't cry, it's not your fault." She hardly noticed as two soldier grabbed her arms and began to drag her away. She couldn't do anything but stare. She stared as the sword dissolved away with her rage, the myst swirling around the room for a moment before it dissipated. She stared as they lifted him up into a stretcher and began first aid, clean the wound, stop the bleeding etcetera, but the wound was ghastly. There was no way they could save him.

_I've killed him._

_I killed Larsa..._

Suddenly Kira began to kick and scream, the guards carrying her very nearly dropped her to begin with out of fear and surprise but held on to her as were their orders. Kira screamed and screamed, repeating his name over and over again as she watched them cart him away most likely to the intensive care unit, but that wouldn't save him, she knew it. Even as she kicked and screamed, trying to free herself form the guards holding her, she found that she was extremely tired. Her body felt completely drained as though she'd just run a marathon after starving herself for a week.

Finally Kira decided that it would be in both her's and Larsa's best interest if she were to just calm down and stop panicking so that she could clear her mind and think straight. But there were so many things reeling through her mind, like: What had she just done? Had she lost control again? How many did she kill? How much of the blood that was caked unto her clothes was actually her own? What was she doing before she woke up? How did her blade reach Larsa? Why was he there in the first place? Kira fought with herself to sift through the questions and she tried desperately to remember just what happened after she realized they had killed her father.

Kira's sudden silence was beginning to concern the guards as they walked her down to the dungeons where they were instructed to take her and tie her up then not let her out of their sights before Rossi got down there to speak to her. They exchanged weary glances with each other as she walked between them, completely silent and not fighting them at all any more.

Kira wanted no more than to just breakdown and cry, to just let out everything she was feeling, to simply go wild and forget all her troubles. But it was that very feeling that got her into this mess to begin with so she cast aside her desires and focused on the matter at hand.

It was painful to remember. She remembered how she blew away the gate, killing those two guards; she remembered freezing the entire entrance hall; she remembered slaughtering countless soldiers with her dagger, whose whereabouts she was unsure of; she remembered attacking Basch.

Kira squeezed her eyes shut as she thought of how many lives she took, how many families were now one member short, how many children were now without fathers or mothers, how many wives were no widowers and husbands, widows. Kira took in a shuddering breath and tried to hold in her tears as they threatened to spill over. _No, come on. I have to remember what happened to Larsa. There has to be something I can do!_

Kira furrowed her brow and focused hard as she tried to remember just what happened. She gasped loudly as the memory came flooding back to her and suddenly she knew what she had to do.

_That poison that was on the blade, no one could cure that except me, they wouldn't even know he's poisoned! I have to get to him but how?_ Kira glanced around her and thought for a moment. _I could teleport but I don't have any teleport stones left and further more I don't even know where Larsa is!_ Kira groaned inwardly and tried in vain to think of another way. _It wouldn't make sense to break way from these guys and go looking for him, they'd just send hundreds of them after me again, I'd never find him. There's no other way, I have to teleport but how...?_

Kira took a deep breath and nodded slightly to herself _No, it's alright...I can do this. I've been constantly improving my teleportation skills and now I just need to take it one step further. I'm a Druid. I can do this..._ Kira squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated hard on Larsa, his presence, his very essence in order to pin point his location and go there.

The guards that were carrying her gasped loudly and began to shout questions at her as warm myst began to swirl around her in that familiar ring. The guards around her didn't know what to do as they watched the myst slowly build up. They tried everything from pushing her to shouting at her but it all just bounced off, her concentration unbreakable. They shielded their eyes and cursed loudly as her spell was completed and she disappeared before their very eyes, the booming sound of the magick ringing through their ears as they immediately called for back up.

Kira would've grinned triumphantly as she found herself suddenly standing beside Larsa's stretcher, shoving one of his doctors to the side, were Larsa not laying there half dead in front of her. Kira heard the many screams around her as she erected a series of protection spells around herself and Larsa, blocking everyone out, not allowing so much as a finger to penetrate her defence as she leaned over Larsa to examine his current state.

Kira blocked out all the noises around her, including Catherine's hysterical screaming as she examined the wound in Larsa's stomach. Kira glanced up to Larsa's face as she felt him twitch under her touch and saw that his eyes were open. He smiled slightly at her and said, "Hey...it's been...a while..."

Kira almost laughed and wanted to just hug him and squeeze the living day lights out of him right then and there but instead she reached for an antidote crystal and said to him, "This is going to hurt." without warning she plunged the crystal into the wound and cringed as she heard him shout out, his back arching in the pain. Kira mumbled her apologies over and over again as she worked the stones magick, willing it to work the way she wanted it to, rearranging its chemical make up to make it work for the poison she designed.

Larsa's voice had failed after a minute or so of screaming and excruciating pain and Kira could just make out Catherine's face, wet with tears within her peripheral vision. Kira felt the tears escaping her as well as she took hold of Larsa's hand. It was cold and clammy and only made her tears flow even more.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before the process was over and Larsa's wound was healed completely without leaving so much as a stretch mark on his skin, all traces of poison gone from his system and nothing but fatigue remained to stain him. Kira sniffed and continued to mutter her apologies over and over again as she cried, exhaustion taking over as she collapsed to her knees beside him.

Larsa looked even more exhausted than Kira felt but colour was slowly but surely returning to his cheeks and his breathing wasn't as laboured as before. He looked down at her and smiled. He reached to her and place his hand on her cheek with what little left strength he had left it seemed.

Kira looked up at him with a confused expression, completely unable to figure how he could be smiling at her after everything she'd done, after all the people she'd killed, after she nearly killed him! But Larsa would continue to surprise Kira as his smile widened slightly and he whispered to her, "I love you Kira."

Kira was so shocked, so taken aback that she'd completely forgotten to keep up the protection spells she had cast around them and she suddenly found herself being dragged off once more as the noise of the chaos around them suddenly hit her. The doctors where shouting orders to the assistants, believing that she had further injured him, Catherine was screaming for Kira to get the death penalty, guards and soldiers were shouting for them to get Kira into restraints and to make sure that she couldn't get away again. They had underestimated her again, however, and could only shield their eyes as she disappeared behind a flash of blinding light, the booming sound of the teleportation magick filling the room.

OoOoO

To be Continued...

Ah yes, finally, my exams are almost done and i have time to unglue my nose form a book ^^ Happy me!

Anyway, as you cna clearly see, i've been pieceing together stuff while i was absent and now i hope to have it streaming along smoothly enough to be finished, i hope before summer ends in September. So i hope you've enjoyed this update and honestly, i'd kill for reviews. No joke. Not you of course, i need you, you're where i get the reviews from, but i'd kill. =]

Love you all and thanks for reading.

Marta, terribly sorry it took so long, hope you enjoyed .


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer – If you recognize it, I don't own it...if you don't its MINE! =P

Chapter 18

Larsa had absolutely no idea how long it was before he finally woke up, but he knew that it was in his best interests that he keep his eyes closed for a moment and pretend to still be asleep as he felt Catherine kneeling beside his bed, his shoulder wet with her tears.

He took a moment to register his surroundings and regain the feeling in his limbs. He twitched slightly as he felt the silk covers on his bare skin and realized that he felt miraculously fine, even though he remembered being in excruciating pain not long ago with a five foot long blade driven through his stomach and a poison that tore through his system like liquid fire. Larsa took in a deep breath and smiled as he felt the clean air flow through him, his entire system feeling refreshed and ready for a new day. He was very surprised to find that he felt extremely good. Not only had Kira healed him but she'd done a whole lot more, it almost felt as if she'd removed all the tension from his system and somehow completely de-stressed him. He felt like new and without really thinking he sat up straight and opened his eyes, a wide grin on his face.

"Larsa!" Catherine shouted suddenly as he sat up straight and looked at her. "Oh Larsa!" Larsa barely had time to say good morning as she tackled him to the sheets once more, her arms wrapping around him tightly in a bear hug for a brief moment before she suddenly exploded off him again and nearly screamed, "Oh my God I'm so sorry! Are you hurt still! Are you in pain? Did I make it worse?"

"Catherine! Catherine whoa there slow down will you?" Larsa said with a smile as he held her shoulders to keep her steady and looked into her eyes. "Hey I'm fine ok. In fact, I've never been better."

Catherine sighed slightly, and collapsed to her knees again by his bed and said, "Oh Larsa. I was so worried and scared...I ...I thought I'd lost you..." Larsa heard the tears in her voice and sighed before he slid down to the floor beside her and gathered her up into his arms.

"It's ok, I'm fine now, you've nothing to worry about." they sat there for a long time as Catherine cried into Larsa's chest, her arms wrapped around him as her small hands buried themselves in his hair.

Larsa looked down as Catherine sniffed heavily, the flow of her tears seeming to finally slow as she looked up at him and said, "I can't believe...I can't believe that Kira would've been capable of such a thing. Basch told me everything, all the details, how many died, how many are seriously injured. That girl is dangerous Larsa, you can't..."

"Catherine stop." Larsa said holding up a hand to stop her as he sighed and closed his eyes, trying to think of how best he was going to explain this to her. "Catherine, do you honestly believe that Kira did all that with her conscious mind?" Catherine blinked slightly, surprised by his words. "Kira most likely had no idea what she was doing, she had absolutely no control. If you found out that your father was murdered and you knew who murdered him and that same person had also murdered your only child, wouldn't you be angry? Wouldn't you want revenge? If you had the power to destroy him, wouldn't you?"

Catherine gasped slightly and stared up at Larsa with huge sad eyes that now held almost less than half the innocence they had before. Catherine did not answer, she could not. She had absolutely no idea how to respond to that scenario.

Catherine suddenly shook her head and said, "But...but how can you justify what she has done? Even with those circumstance...Larsa She tried to kill you!"

"She did no such thing! I intervened of my own accord and paid the price. In fact I'm not even sure why I bothered to save Rossi considering he is the cause of all this!" Larsa said angrily more to himself than to Catherine. "But the fact of the matter is that she regained her sense and came back to save me and now I'm in tip top shape. Kira is probably of somewhere beating herself up for what she has done. I can only imagine what sort of accusations and revelations are running through her mind if her mind is even working at all. With all that's been thrust upon her I wouldn't be surprised if she was driven mad!"

"But...but Larsa...Kira tried to kill your acting Head of State, and in the process she nearly killed you! And all of this in the pursuit of revenge? I don't understand how you can even try to justify these actions!" Catherine said as she stared up at Larsa with angry eyes, not understanding why he was trying so hard to convince her that Kira is not in the wrong here.

"Catherine listen to me. Kira is a good person and unlike you and I, she is not used to the rigours of politics and an aristocratic life where people are killed for sport and lives are nothing but bargaining chips. There was no possible way she could have understood the consequences if she were to kill the acting Head of State, or worse me, the Crown Prince, ignoring of course the fact that she attempted this without conscious thought or action." Larsa paused and saw the sceptical look on Catherine face and frowned, "I'm willing to bet my very title and throne that Kira find out about Old Dalan's death and seconds later found herself standing before House Solidor Castle, her mind shattered and her heart bleeding. There was no plan, no conscious thought, no reasoning, no thought of the consequences to follow. All that mattered to her enraged heart was that her father's death and Tihana's as well be avenged. And even that notion was not hers, fore I know Kira, she would sooner choose negotiation or some diplomatic solution, but the news about her father would've shaken her greatly and tore from her a beast she'd worked tireless to keep shackled within."

Catherine did a slight double take and said, "beast within? Larsa what are you talking about?"

Larsa gave a hard look and said, "Remember when I told you that Kira was special." Catherine almost grimaced but nodded all the same. "Well, Kira is a very special person indeed, but it is a dangerous speciality that she has. She told me once that her father told her that her mother was supposed to help her control it, but her mother died when she was only five years old and so she was left the fend for herself. Kira has an immense power inside of her, a dangerous power that could run away with her if she is not careful. No one understands it, not even Kira herself, but what she did finally understand after years of living in fear of herself and the strange power she held, was that it must be kept secret and dormant. Through out her entire life she worked hard to ensure that it was kept in check and that it did not overwhelm her."

Catherine looked confused and shook her head slightly before saying, "But...I don't understand...just what is this power she holds anyway?"

"There is no way to really definite her power. She is simply far more adapt so to speak when it comes to dealing with magick and crystal and stones, even myst as well. Sort of like the Viera, only she is much stronger and she cannot control the full extent of that power. She once told me that when she was young, she was afraid to use magicks any at all, afraid she might lose control and reek havoc. Old Dalan told me that her mother had said she would help her learn to control her power and that she would explain everything her in due, but alas, Kira's mother died when she was only five and left her to fend for herself. She worked through out her entire life to keep her powers under control soon she began to delve into it and withdraw some of that power for better use, as you have seen with her uncanny teleportation skills. Kira never talks about it much, I think she is ashamed of it, as out of character as that is for her but she did tell me once that in her younger years, just a few months after her mother's death, she found herself wishing that she had never existed, wishing that she never had this power, even wishing for death. She said she would rather suffer through all of these things than to lose control again. Thankfully at that time she was too small to cause terrible damage, but because of her abnormality she couldn't make friends and even her own father kept his distance from her. There has only ever been one other time in which she had lost control after she'd learned to reign in her powers, and as I've told you, to this day she has nightmares about that night, and now she will dream of this morning and she will cry a river's worth again for the lives she mistakenly took. Kira is far more burdened than you could imagine and she does not deserve the grievances you are giving her."

Catherine stared at Larsa as she listened to him, shocked slightly by his story, by Kira's story. Catherine looked up at Larsa and saw a fire burning in his eyes, boring into her, willing her to understand what he was saying and she sighed. She wanted to cry again. She wanted to cry because she could see it. She could see right through him. Why else would he be trying so hard, so desperately to get her to understand, to ensure that her name was clear, that the blame was not hers? Why else would he defend the very person that nearly killed him merely hours ago? "You really do love her don't you?"

Larsa looked slightly taken aback before he sighed and looked Catherine deep in the eyes before he said, "Yes, I do."

Catherine briefly closed her eyes as she felt her heart twinge at his words, the pain racking her body. "And you'd do anything for her wouldn't you?"

"Yes..."

Catherine cringed again and then looked up Larsa sharply, her eyes brimming with tears and she said, "Why? I don't understand why!"

Larsa sighed and looked away from her for a moment then said, "I can't...I can't expla-"

"That's not what I meant!" Catherine cut in suddenly, "Why did you agree to marry me if you're in love with Kira?" her tears were flowing freely now and she could feel her heart hamming in her chest.

Larsa again looked taken aback by her words and smiled slightly at her before he reached out and pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly. Catherine had a right mind to pull away but she couldn't, she loved him too much to pass up any opportunity to be this close to him. "Catherine, I am to be King tomorrow." he paused and she felt him sigh against her. "I am to be King tomorrow, so if today I cannot make the necessary sacrifices to serve my country and my people, then how can I hope to be the leader that my people need? To reinstate the Galtean Alliance Treaty was a brilliant idea and I commend your father for it, but we both know that there is absolutely no way the rest of Ivalice would agree without some shocking event to bring them to their senses, an event such as the union of Archadian and Rossarian heirs. Archadia and Rossaria have been at war with each other for decades and only my father and your father ever broke the monotony of continuous war by developing a friendship, however short lived, and through that friendship another was born, our friendship, and through our union, the endless age of war between our nations would cease and we would be able to show all of Ivalice that an age of peace is within our reach.

"Whether or not we like the arrangement is not of consequence. I have long since come to terms with that fact."

` Catherine stared up at Larsa sorrowfully and sniffed before she said, "that's...that's not fair."

Larsa almost laughed. "Life isn't fair Catherine. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"It's no use Fran, we might as well just sit here and wait for Kira to come back out and help us out of here. I'm sure if she could manoeuvre around in that tunnel then she could help us out." Balthier said as he collapsed unto the very rock he had been sitting on when they first came across Kira in the small cave just outside the entrance to that very mysterious hall they'd lost Kira in. They had tried to find their way back out of the cave and into the Subterra of the Pharos but only ended up walking in circles and finding themselves back in the cave. It was almost as if something didn't want them to leave. They were trapped.

"Perhaps we should try the tunnel again. Now that Kira is there, perhaps we will be allowed to enter." Fran said as she stood in front of the huge door which had locked itself once again.

"Ah perhaps perhaps, but you see Fran, I don't think that door would see fit to allow us in without Kira." and as if the Gods themselves had heard him, Balthier found himself suddenly staring into Kira's face. She had suddenly materialized in front of him. Balthier nearly fell of the rock as he stared at Kira, her sudden appearance shocking him. He had no idea she could teleport without a teleport crystal, but soon it was not her sudden appearance that was bothering him so much as the expression on her face.

"Kira...Kira what is wrong child?" Fran too noticed the girls despair and put a comforting hand on the girls shoulder. Kira looked up at Fran and suddenly burst into tears, wrapping her arms around the Viera's middle and burying her face into her chest as she cried. Balthier stood up then and shot a questioning glance at Fran who merely shrugged as she continued to comfort Kira as words began to tumble form her lips, jumbled and incoherent as she tried to tell them everything that had happened that day all at once.

"Hush child, calm yourself and tell us what has happened to you." Fran said gently to her as she wiped the tears from her wet face and took note of her bloody state, the way her clothes were torn and blood stained, how small wounds all over her body were caked over with blood and she had multiple angry bruises all along her body.

"here, take this you'll feel better." Balthier said as he opened a bottle of tonic for her and helped her drink it before he moved her to his rock to sit down.

After the few long minutes Kira took to calm down, she proceeded to tell Balthier and Fran everything she knew.

"Well it all began when Catherine came that day when Larsa and I were planning to go out for a hunt. She came along and caused some complications and so I tried to teleport us to Rabanastre but we ended up on the Ridorana Cataract and were attacked by the very monster we were hunting. We were running away and fell through a hole and that's where I first met Sulendii."

"Sulendii?" Fran asked curiously.

"I'll get to that in a bit. After that, Larsa had to recover from a curse and we left to vanquish the hunt. When we came back, Old Dalan was having some trouble so I went to deal with it. When everything calmed down, and I actually realized that Larsa wasn't there the whole time he appeared. He told me that he was going to marry Catherine. I supported the idea..sort of but I think I may have hurt him a little with my reaction, but anyway. We met again the next month and left to vanquish another hunt." Kira paused for a moment, remembering how they raced through the Sochen Cave Palace and slept together peacefully under the stars. Kira shook herself out of her reverie and continued, hitching slightly on her words as she recalled what happened next. "After the hunt we returned to Low Town and for some reason Catherine was there, and Old Dalan was having another attack. We tried hard to calm him down, gave him medication just the same as we always did, but nothing worked and he was gone before we knew it." Kira sniffed slightly then shook her head and continued, "The next Larsa got a letter from Basch saying that he'd better hurry back to Archadia before the Senate did something stupid. So Larsa left, but before he left...we had a bit of a...well not a fight...but it was uncomfortable and I had to leave. I couldn't stay there, so I went to the Ridorana Cataract and mourned the loss of my father. I found something there, with a key that he had given me. It was what ultimately lead me here, but I had to wait before I could follow the trail so I dawdled by climbing the Pharos. When I reached the top I received a letter from Larsa telling me about the first raid in Low Town. I became livid and immediately teleported to Low Town where I found everything in chaos. A second and more violent raid was in progress and...and..." Kira took a deep breath, sniffed, shook her head then said finally, "and Tihana was killed." She heard the two of them gasp and closed her eyes briefly before continuing. "I almost lost control and cleaned up the streets as best as I could without any further casualties and then I was told that they were after me and so I decided to hide out here so as to prevent any more damage being dealt to the town and its people. After I mourner the death of my daughter..." she choked slightly again, "I followed the trail that daddy's key led me too and I found this place."

"And that's where we come in and also where we lost you. What happened to you after we lost you in there?" Balthier asked with an arched brow.

Kira nodded and said, "Yes I'm getting to that. I followed the path and realized too late that I'd lost you two and you won't believe what I'd found. I found a secret lair so to speak where the very same man I told you about, Sulendii whom I'd met on the Ridorana Cataract about a month before told me about an ancient civilisation called Jagd whose people who were called Druids guarded and worshipped the Cryst. He told me that the Druids had made an imitation Cryst and placed high atop the Pharos to be displayed to all Ivalice to show that they were not hoarding the power of the Cryst while they kept the real Cryst here under the Pharos to keep it safe." Kira did not stop to register the suddenly sceptical expressions on both Balthier and Fran's faces. "He also told me that I was a descendant of the Druids and that he and the Cryst had been waiting for me to appear before them." Still she ignored their scepticism as Balthier involuntarily scoffed at her. "He told me all about how Jagd was wiped from the face of Ivalice. It was through civil war and Archadia had played a big role in her demise but completely cut their ties with Jagd when everything went out the window and denied ever having anything to do with it. Sulendii told me of how it was because of the Archadian, of how if it weren't for them then things may have turned out differently and Jagd could still be standing today. He then told me that..." Kira took a breath, feeling her mouth starting to go dry from all the talking before she continued. "He told me that the Archadian Senate had murdered my father." Balthier and Fran both looked shocked, virtually scandalized as they absorbed this last piece of information. "Of course I didn't believe it at first and he teleported me to Low Town to see for myself, and there I found an empty vial of Archadian poison." Kira shook her head slightly and sighed. She placed her head into her hands, her body rigid, shaking slightly with the memory of what happened next, the souvenirs still fresh and burning all over her body. "I...I lost it. Completely lost it. I don't even remember what happened, all I remember is teleporting myself to the front gate House Solidor Palace and then I woke up to Larsa's voice telling me that I needed to stop. When my eyes focused..." Kira sniffed back tears as she remembered the horror of watching Larsa slide off her blade, the wound ghastly as it bled him out. "I saw... I saw that I had...some how in the chaos I had..." Kira was choking on the words and could hardly breath as the fullness of what she nearly did hit her. Tears streamed down her face again and she hugged herself tightly, trying desperately to keep her heart from exploding within her it felt like it would.

Fran knelt beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It is alright child, you don't have to worry, whatever it is you have done, it was not your fault. You can tell us."

Kira looked over at Fran and scoffed. She sniffed however and took a deep, ragged breath and finally said, "I had stabbed Larsa with a poisoned blade." She did not wait for them to register just what she'd said in their minds before she continued. "I was too shocked to do anything at the time and so I carted away by guards while they took Larsa to the infirmary. I knew however, that if I didn't get to him soon then he'd no doubt die of the poison. I was the only one that could help him but I was too week to fight off the guards and I'd used up all my teleport stones."

"Wait, wait, wait...before you go any further, just how did you end up stabbing Larsa? I'm positive that even in that state you could've differentiated between innocents and villains."

"He got in the way. I was trying to kill Caligula Rossi." Kira said simply before she continued. "as they were walking with me to the dungeons, I decided that I had no choice and I focused hard, for all I know I very nearly killed myself with the effort, but I managed to teleport to Larsa's side and I healed him and teleported back her where I met up with you guys. I don't know exactly what happened or how many died in the incident, or even for how long it went on."

Fran sighed softly beside Kira and gathered her in her arms before saying, "Do not worry child. Whatever you have done, it was not of your accord and you cannot be blamed for it. Those who are to be blamed are the ones who would evoke such a response from you." Kira smiled up at Fran softly through watery eyes and rest her head against her ample breast, ensuring not to scratch herself on her tough armour.

"Well...let's say that I were to believe your story here...in its entirety," Balthier said with a thoughtful look on his face Kira glared up at him. He dared to even imply that she was lying? Why the hell would she make up a story like that? "There is one thing that would bother me. Even if I do believe this story of Druids and Jagd and this Cryst...I would still like to see proof. I myself, and Fran as well, whitnessed the destruction of the Sun Cryst at the top of the Pharos and I find it very hard to believe that another lies beneath this very structure that could possibly hold even more power then the Sun Cryst that I am familiar with. I find it very hard to believe that such a thing could just be sleeping peacefully below us right now."

"It's not sleeping and I can take you to it right now if you want." Kira stood up then and moved to the door, automatically placing her palm to its surface and opening it.

"The last time we tried to follow you in it redirected our progress, forbidding us from entry." Fran said as they stood just outside the hall.

"Not this time. This time you're with me." Kira said firmly as she continued to walk along the corridor. "oh and Fran, let me know if the myst bothers you."

As they began to walk down the long myst free corridor, Fran turned to Kira and asked, "Kira, I would like it if you could tell us about these Druids. If you are not Hume, but in fact a Druid, then I would like to understand better the nature of your race."

"Yes please enlighten us." Kira frowned slightly as she couldn't miss the lightly sarcastic tone in Balthier's voice.

"Well, the Druids were the original protectors of the Cryst. They had a special ability where they could communicate with magical items such as The Cryst, crystals, magic stones and even the myst itself. We were very proficient in the use of these items and were respected and revered by many as a very powerful people. Magic came naturally to us, it was our culture and our life, that's why I am so good with magicks."

"Yes, yes that does patch up a few holes here and there..." Balthier said nonchalantly.

"there's a dark side though. I don't know if this is the norm or if its just me and my lack of training, but it is possible to lose control over your powers and they will run wild and rampant seeking to fulfil the person deepest darkest desire. For example, my darkest desire at the moment is to murder Caligula for everything he has put me and my people through, and so, when I lost control..."

Balthier and Fran nodded in understanding and Balthier said, "So in short every Druid has this great ability, this tremendous power, but they have to learn to properly control it?"

"Yes I suppose that's about it." Kira said they came upon the door to the labyrinth of stairs. Kira nonchalantly placed her hand on the door and it opened, revealing the dazzling beauty of the room.

Kira heard Balthier whistle and smiled when he said, "Well... I'd like to get in touch with their interior decorator."

They walked quietly for a while until finally Fran broke the silence with an enquiry. "I am surprised, there is so much myst yet it is so, calming and warm. I have never experienced this before." Fran said as they descended further into the labyrinth, myst almost completely fogging their vision.

"Indeed, I can hardly find my feet much less proper footing. Are you certain you know your bearings Kira?" Balthier asked sceptically and Kira sighed slightly.

"I'm positive. Judging by the thickness of the myst we're almost there." Kira kept walking and exclaimed in triumph as they suddenly burst into the myst free hall. Both Fran and Balthier stopped as they found themselves suddenly free of myst.

"Kira...?" Balthier began questioningly but Kira just turned to him, smiled and pointed upwards. Balthier quirked a brow but looked up anyway and said, "Ah...that's interesting..." as he stared up at the ceiling of myst just above his head.

Fran too had marvelled at the roof of myst above them but nudged Balthier as she caught sight of Kira descending the rest of the stairs and heading towards a door a little ways into the wide hall.

Kira waited for them by the door while it opened slowly, myst swirling slowly out of the room as it did. Once they reached the door, Kira stepped in before them and called out, "Sulendii, are you here?"

Balthier raised one delicate eyebrow and glanced over at Fran but found that she was completely entrance by something, her eyes locked and her mouth slightly agape. Slightly taken aback by the expression on Fran's face, Balthier was about to make a rude suggestion when someone replied to Kira's call. "I see you have returned."

Balthier looked up to see the strangest, prettiest man he'd ever seen in his life, but he hardly had time to study him before he took note of the gargantuan crystal sitting pretty behind him. At this point both Balthier and Fran seemed to have more or less the same expression.

Sulendii took a quick glance at Kira's guests before he turned back to Kira. Kira looked up at Sulendii with very shameful eyes and was about to say something but he delicately lifted a hand to stop her and said, "We are aware of what you have done and you have already been forgiven. It was likely my own lack of proper judgement that lead to this unfortunate turn of events. I should've known that you would be unable to handle the sudden news of your father's murder alone. Forgive me."

Kira seemed completely taken aback as she stood staring at Sulendii as he bowed gracefully to her. Before Kira could formulate a suitable reply in her mind, however, Sulendii went on to what he must've deemed more pressing matters. "As it stands however, we are now forced into action. The occurrence of recent events has proven to me that the Archadian Senate is indeed on the move and will most likely come looking for you Kira. We do not know exactly what it is they want from you but we are almost positive that it has to do with the Cryst."

Kira was suddenly knocked back into reality and she furrowed her brow and said, "But how could they even know about the Cryst?"

"That is a question you and I both would like the answer to, but I cannot see any other reason as to why they would be searching for you so fervently." Sulendii said urgently.

"So hang on just a moment here. You're trying to tell us that the Archadian Senate, just about one hundred thirty four miles away from here, is hunting Kira, in order to get this crystal...no doubt for it's incredible power. Oui?" Balthier said as he stood akimbo facing Sulendii who also turned to face him.

"That is correct. Please do not ask any more questions for you now know no less than I do, except that we most definitely cannot allow the Archadian Senate to get their hands on the Cryst. They are not Druidian, so they will not know how to use it, they will destroy all of Ivalice along with themselves should they attempt."

"Then what should we do The cryst would most likely be safer here than anywhere else..."

"No, you must take the Cryst. It is not safe here by itself."

"but it's not by itself, you're here..." Kira sounded confused, she didn't understand how after all those years the Cryst was suddenly no longer be safe here.

"No I am not. My purpose has been served, I have lead you to the cryst and taught you all I can, so now it is up to you to protect it." Sulendii said as he turned to the cryst and placed his hand on it's surface.

Kira looked flabbergasted and confused, even though she understood perfectly what he meant. "Wait...wait you mean you're... you're going to die now?" She could feel tears welling up behind her eyes. She didn't understand why he had to die, why he had to leave her so suddenly especially now with all that's happening? Why did he have to leave her? Why was she now subjected to being the Last Druid in Ivalice?

"Kira, you have nothing to fear, the cryst will teach you everything I could not and will be your source of guidance and support when you need it. I will always be here with you, inside the Cryst. You must protect the Cryst at all times Kira, never let it leave your sight. Do not be afraid, and remember that once you have the Cryst, you will never be alone. We will be with you always." Sulendii said with a smile before a bright light engulfed him and the Cryst. Balthier, Fran and Kira instinctively shielded their eyes from the blinding light and when they returned their gaze to the scene, the Cryst and Sulendii were replaced by a thin silver chain with a much, much smaller version of the cryst attached to it.

Kira moved forward and plucked the heavy crystal from the floor and draped the Necklace over her head and let it fall against her chest. Its warm weight fluttered against her slightly, as if it were alive. Kira looked down at the Cryst and frowned slightly before she nodded to herself and decided to accept the duty placed upon her as the Last Druid.

Kira turned to Balthier and Fran and said, "I'm going to need reliable intel on the Archadian Senate. Care to help out?"

Fran glanced at Balthier who caught her eye and smirked. "Depends, what do you need to know?"

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer – If you recognize it, I don't own it...if you don't its MINE! =P

Chapter 19

It was early in the morning of the 2nd of May and Larsa stood anxiously on his stool, allowing his hand maids to dress him up for the day. He paid little attention to his attire, the fancy white jacket suit with gold embroidery with rubies and emeralds dotted across the fabric in fashionable places. His shiny white leather shoes that could almost be used as a mirror and a pretty sword that had a handle encrusted in jewels and felt way too heavy to actually fight with.

Larsa couldn't sleep for one minute that night. He'd stayed up pondering over the little information he had on the Senate and their plans trying in vain to find out what they had planned for today. There was no way they would just let today go by without incident, that would make them obsolete. Once he becomes king, then they will have no power against him what so ever.

Larsa kept trying over and over again to find reason to at least postpone the ceremonies but gave up as he suddenly found himself in front of what was likely all of Archadia and half of Ivalice with Rossi kneeling before him, dubbing him King before them all.

Larsa gritted his teeth as he drowned out Rossi's words and tried his best to properly survey his surroundings to see if he could ferret out anything that could possible cause a disturbance or just something, anything that could make them postpone this event.

He followed procedure well enough, remembering his older brother Vayne's corronation and allowed the progression to lead him to a small table where all the Heads of State stood waiting for him. When he got closer he realized that on the table sat the Galtean Treaty and several pens for them all to sign with. Larsa looked around even more frantically now for something that could stop the procession. His eyes met Lady Ashe's and she too look somewhat alarmed. Larsa was slightly surprised to see Balthier standing beside her, not entirely expecting him to have come. Balthier winked at Larsa and he gave him a grim half smile back wondering if Balthier had any idea what might be going on today.

Larsa wasn't even entirely sure what was making him feel so on edge, it was just that, he felt there was something wrong. There was just no way the Senate would let this day go by and just give up the power they strived so hard to claim to a mere seventeen year old. Not to mention the fact that they have yet to show any signs of making move! The more they stayed still was the more Larsa felt he could not.

It was too late however as a pen was passed into his hands and every one of the Leaders were looking at him, waiting patiently for him to sign. Larsa hesitated and caught Rossi's eye and instantly felt the urge to throw the pen as far away from him as possible and call off the whole thing. Rossi looked smug. Completely content with the days progress, as if everything were going according to plan.

Larsa squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and took a deep breath. He had to sign, there was nothing he could do. If he didn't then only god he knows what could happen afterwords. Larsa opened his eyes and slowly lifted the pen to the thick paper of the Treaty and sign his name under the list of names signed on by the Heads of State around him.

Larsa sighed and placed the pen down, completely unsure of how he was to feel at the moment. One part of him was rejoicing that he now had the power to trample the Senate, while the next was still in great fear of what they might be planning in order to get that power from him.

The rest of day went by quite uneventfully however. Catherine had decided that she wanted a sunset wedding with the reception in the night under the stars. She wanted them to Honey Moon in Rossaria where she could take him around and show him her homeland like he'd shown her his. So far everything seemed to be going smoothly. His day was spent the day mingling with the other Heads of State, conversing and making plans for the future. Larsa was beginning to feel rather suffocated by the time noon rolled around and by the time six o'clock reached, he felt as if he was going to die and silently wondered if the Senate was planning to suffocate and starve him to death.

Larsa could hardly find sufficient words of gratitude however when Balthier, Fran, Basch and Ashe dragged him off to the side declaring that they needed to speak with their new king. "Ah...thank you Lady Ashe, Balthier. I don't think I'd have survived another talk of plans to meet and make plans with," he used his hands to make quotation mark signs. "Leaders of which country."

Balthier chuckled slightly and said, "No need to worry young King. I have good news for you." Larsa looked up sharply at Balthier and straightened up as he brushed imaginary dirt from his jacket. Larsa made a gesture for Balthier to go on and he smiled before saying, "Well, as you can clearly see I am here today," Larsa almost did a face fault and knitted his eye brows together, opening his mouth for what he hoped was a foul and angry response, but Balthier beat him to it. "on orders from a certain missing red-head."

Larsa felt his eyes widen and his heart very nearly sore right out of his chest. He stuttered for a moment and thus was beaten again by Basch this time. "You have spoken with Kira?"

"Yes. It was rather unexpected mind you. We'd run into a spot of trouble when she very nearly literally fell right into our lap."

"Is she alright?" Larsa asked quickly, hoping that she hadn't sustained any major injures from yesterday.

"After a fashion..." Balthier said, after which Fran quickly clarified for the poor young king.

"She is well in body, but I am afraid her mind may never let past events go."

"Although, I am sure she will be alright, she has sufficient distraction." Balthier said with a smile. "It is because of that distraction that we are here."

"We cannot discuss details here and now, but soon we ask you to aid us in our quest." Fran said majestically, almost making it seem as if this quest could alter the very fabric of time.

Larsa, Ashe and Basch all quirked an eyebrow at the two but hardly had time to question them as a bell sounded, signally to them that the wedding would begin shortly. Suddenly a handful of Larsa's handmaids arrived at his side and dragged him off to get him prepared for the wedding and Balthier, Fran, Basch and Ashe and watched in pity as the poor boy was dragged off against his will.

"Ah marriage, such a dreadful thing..." Balthier said as he shook his head and sighed dramatically. Ashe and Basch looked over at him and rolled their eyes. Ah how they missed him and his facetious dialogue.

Larsa stood by the altar, his robes fit for a King, which he was, his hair trimmed to perfection and pulled back away from his face by hardly noticable clips, his very aura the essence of perfection. Or at least, that was the image they were going for. However, how can he be the perfect groom if his mind isn't even there at the wedding.

Larsa hardly noticed the music as it played the classic "Here comes the Bride" tune, he hardly noticed the travelling echo of gasps behind him as people watched Catherine walk down the aisle, her father at her side. Larsa was hardly even aware of the stares women of all ages were giving him. All he was aware of was that one, Kira was a live and well somewhere and she needed his help, and two, his day seemed to have been going well. He was king of Archadia and ultimate ruler of the Galtean Alliance and nothing could stop him from dismantling the Senate now. What could they possibly do to take this away from him now? What options did they have but to bow down to him? What in all of Ivalice was behind that god damned smug expression on Rossi's face?

Just as Larsa was about to curse under his breath in an attempt to release some tension within, Catherine stepped up beside him and he very nearly fell off the altar. Never in his life had Larsa ever seen a more beautiful woman.

Larsa could not help himself as he stared at her. Her hair had been curled and tied up into a messy knot that left tendrils of auburn curls cascading down her back and over her shoulders to dangle above ample cleavage. Her dress was pure white silk, that left her shoulders and back bare and hugged her every curve down to her hips where it flared beautifully, little crystalline brioches pin here and there to keep the whole thing together as it flowed seamlessly around her and out onto the floor where the train reached back a good three feet as a dazzling array of pure white silk and sparkling crystal.

Catherine looked over at Larsa and smiled, and for the first time Larsa felt charmed by her, he felt that he could spend the rest of his life with her, just as long as she kept smiling at him like that. Larsa smiled back at and turned to the pastor as he began to ceremony.

The pastor spoke, read some scripture, lead them to sign the Marriage licence and then back to the alter where they recited their vows.

"Do you Catherine Rachel Rossaria, take this man, Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" His voice boomed across the alter so that it carried to every ear in the audience. Everyone was silent, an echoing, anxious silence as they awaited her reply.

"I do!" Catherine announced, her excitement bubbling over in her speech as her voice almost cracked, a wide smile full of pearly white teeth spread across her face displaying how truly happy she felt to be in her current position.

Larsa smiled warmly at her. She truly was a beautiful woman, and he should feel like the luckiest man in all of Ivalice, but somehow, he could bring the smile up into his eyes as his treacherous mind quite wondering back to a certain beautiful red-head.

"And do you, Larsa Ferrinas Solidor, take this woman, Catherine, Rachel Rossaria, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" Larsa glanced over at the pastor and found him smiling down at him, but that smile far from pleasant. It was almost threatening as if he were daring him to say 'no'. Larsa swallowed the thick saliva in his mouth and took a deep breath before he said, "...I do."

Larsa smiled as he watched Catherine's eyes blaze with the love and admiration she felt for him, he watched her smile beautifully and he could tell that she was just dieing to squeeze the living day lights out of him and kiss him to death.

Catherine looked over at the pastor with an air of urgency and he laughed before saying, "You may kiss the bride."

Catherine grinned widely, grabbed Larsa's hands and slowly began to lean forward. Larsa could feel the heat rushing to his cheeks but swallowed harshly and leaned forward as well. They both closed their eyes and ever so slowly moved closer and closer. Their lips were a hair's breath away, and Larsa could feel Catherine's slightly laboured breathing on her face, when suddenly he felt something hot and wet splash onto his face, then something sharp whizzed passed his cheek.

Larsa opened his eyes in shock and for a moment, Larsa honestly believed that his eyes were lieing to him. There was simply no way that what he was seeing could be the truth. There was no way that this could be happening.

Larsa stood there, shocked as he watched her, she was falling, the whole in her forehead gushing blood as the life left from her still smiling eyes. Larsa could not think anything passed the notion that his eyes were lieing to him, all he could hear, all he could feel, all he could see was the notion that this could not be true. Larsa's body reacted on its own as he caught her and gently laid her down on the ground. Larsa could not hear the chaos around him, he did not see the hoard of guards rushing towards him, he could not feel the cold evening breeze sweeping his hair over his shoulders, all he could see was Catherine lieing there, lifeless in his arms.

He didn't understand. He couldn't understand. He didn't want to understand! Larsa felt it raising within him and made no effort to suppress it as rivers flowed from his eyes and the roar of a wounded lion ripped free of his larynx.

He could hardly feel rough, armoured hands dragging him to his feet, he could just barely register their reasoning for dragging him away from his bride; "The hostiles could still be around," they said. He kicked and screamed, not understanding why they were trying to take her away from him. He felt as if he were in a parallel universe where nothing but he and Catherine existed, where no one should be allowed to interfere, where it was his duty to protect her, and he had failed.

Screamed and cried for Catherine, not understanding what was going on, why she was suddenly not alive, who could possibly even think of doing such a thing, why it had to be now of all times, why everything was finally going well, why when he was finally able to make her happy?

It was not until Larsa saw a handful of Rossi's men arresting Basch did he finally snap back into reality. Larsa could now hear the chaos around him, the screaming, the pushing and the kicking as people in the congregation rushed to get away from the alter, which was now splashed with blood, Catherine's blood. He could hear and see Catherine's father, King Theodor of Rossaria screaming for his child and attempting to climb onto the alter where numerous guards were trying hard to kept him tethered to the ground. He could properly see the wound in Catherine's head now and quickly devised that the shot had come in from an angle and judging by the slant of the cut it had made on his cheek it had come from above, most likely from up stairs where no trespassers were allowed. He glanced up at the balcony just hanging over the alter and saw no one and cursed loudly before he looked over at where Basch was being arrested and instantly knew that this was a set up. Basch couldn't have possibly been the one that shot Catherine, he was for one on ground level and two he stood a little ways behind the alter. A shot from that angle would not have produced the results Larsa could clearly see on both his and Catherine's bodies.

Larsa looked around and saw that the Senate was having Archadian soldiers usher everyone out of the chapel and away from the alter. They wanted no witnesses. He watched as they dragged King Theodor outside while he kicked and screamed for his daughter. Larsa watched grimly as Archadian doctors dragged Catherine's body off the alter and out of sight, her beautiful, white silk dress strained the colour of death, the white marble floor of the Alter wet and slippery with her blood.

Larsa surprised himself as both his heart and mind skipped over the mourning process and went straight to vengeance as his blood boiled, his temper raising to dangerous levels. He already knew who was responsible for this.

"Mi Lord please calm down! We must get you to a safe area! The assassin could still be here somewhere!" One of the guards trying to get him under control shouted and Larsa growled viciously before swivelling around to face him.

"The assassin is long gone and I don't give a damn about him! Get me Rossi NOW!" The guard looked like he was about to relieve himself right then and there as Larsa stared him down, despite being taller than the boy King in front of him.

Larsa turned around sharply as he heard one of the guards shout from across the alter. "Sir Rossi! You were right! We found the Assassin! It's the judge Magister Basch!" Larsa's shock propelled him forward through the crowd of guards around him to where a number of guards where now surrounding Judge Basch and trying hard to get Basch down to the ground.

"Lord Larsa! It was not I! I would never!" Basch shouted as he saw Larsa and grunted loudly when one of the guards kicked him hard in the stomach.

"Hey! Even if it was Judge Basch, he is still our superior you can't treat him like that!" one of the other guards said to the one that kicked him and was nearly knocked to the ground as well when Larsa finally decided to cut in.

"What do you think you are doing? Release him at once!" Larsa shouted, his voice harsh and demanding.

"But sir, Sir Rossi ordered us to arrest him! He could be the assassin!"

Larsa's expression must've been murders to make all the burly men in thick armour tremble and cower away from him. "And who is King here? I am King and I am ordering you to release him!"

"My my, what a treacherous King you are to be ordering the release of your Queen's murderer." Larsa swivelled around to face Rossi and felt the overwhelming urge to just strangle him right then and there.

"Judge Magister Basch has nothing to do with Catherine's murder and you know it!"

"Oh, do I? We found the murder weapon right by his feet only moments ago." Larsa looked around at Basch and saw one of the guards hold up a gun, the barrel still smoking. "Still hot when one of my men found it by his feet. Tell me Larsa, how does it feel to be betrayed by your most loyal servant?" Rossi's words were dripping with venom and Larsa felt a cold, sick chill run along his spine.

"The betrayer that I know of is no loyal servant of mine!" Larsa spat back at him with matching deadly venom. Larsa looked back at Basch and saw exactly what he was hoping to see in his eyes; anger, loathing and vengeance, all directed at Rossi, as was his own.

Rossi smirked at him and said, "Well then, now that we are in agreement I must ask you Lord Larsa to depart for the castle. I would feel so much better knowing that you are safe within the castle walls, away from this heathen."

"I am not leaving until Basch's name is cleared! Catherine's real murderer is found!" Larsa spat, very nearly adding that he strongly believe that the murderer was standing right in front of him.

"Lord Larsa, I am giving you safe passage, gratitude is the sign of noble souls." Rossi said menacingly.

"I am as safe in your hands as an antelope in the lion's den. I have nothing to be gratuitous about." Larsa was straining to keep his self control, not simply blow up and attack Rossi.

"Your words wound me young King. I am after ally our humble servant." Rossi said with a bow. Larsa grimaced and was about to demand that he release Basch once again when Rossi continued. "Although, you must be some what relieved Lord Larsa, now that the Lady Catherine is out of your way, you may finally fuck you sweet street-rat lover." Larsa had never felt so compelled to hurt someone in his life as a fire flared inside of him, Rossi's words only adding fuel to the blaze. "I'll bet you don't even care if the killer is found. All you want is the power of being King and a sweet ass to pet!" Larsa was so angry he could hardly speak. "You are just like me Larsa. You want nothing but power! You don't care about the people of Ivalice, you never have1 All that talk was just for show so that you could be King of the Galtean Alliance! You only agreed to marry the Princess of Rossaria so that you could gain power! You don't give a shit about anyone but yourself! You and I are no differe..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP ROSSI! You lieing, evil, pompous bastard! You're the one that killed Catherine! You're the one that set this whole thing up! You're the one that's greedy for power! You'll do anything to have your way! You don't care how many have to die! You're the selfish one! You're the one that only cares about himself!"

There was a long pause, a deadly quick that passed over the entire alter where only a few of the Head's of State were left including Balthier, Ashe and Fran, and a few guards as well as Rossi, the rest of the Senate Larsa and Basch.

Larsa was breathing heavily, his face flushed, the cut on his cheek bleeding profusely due to the rush of blood running through his face. He had never felt so enraged in his life. He'd never felt so...so murderous. Never had he even thought of murder as a solution but right now he nothing more than to take some sharp object and drive it straight through Rossi's heart, if he even has one.

But as Larsa was trying hard to keep himself from doing something extremely stupid, Rossi seemed to believe that he already had done something extremely stupid as he suddenly began to chuckled, then it grew into a laugh and then a roaring chorus of laughter erupted around them as the rest of the Senate members began to laugh as well.

"Oh dear young King, how much I love thee!" Rossi said through giggles as he wiped laughter tears from his eyes. Larsa stared incredulously at him and the rest of the senate members and hardly opened his mouth before Rossi shouted, "Arrest him!"

"Excuse me?" Larsa said shocked as he watched his own men gang up on him and drag him down to his knees, knocking his crown off his head and onto the floor a good ways away from him. He watched it roll away from him and grimaced as he glared up at Rossi.

"Larsa!" Ashe shouted and was about to move forward to help him when Balthier held her back.

"No, if you interfere they will only take you as well. Let us just observe for now."

"How can you say that? What if they plan to kill him?"

"They wont kill him yet. They'll need him to find Kira."

"What...?"

"Shh!"

"What is the meaning of this Rossi?" Larsa shouted as the guards struggled to get Larsa's hands tied behind his back. They were underestimating his strength and were forced to call in two more guards to force him flat on the ground before they could properly secure his hands. Larsa looked over at Basch where he too was being forced to the ground as he began to struggle even more at the sight of his King being apprehended.

"You, King Solidor," He said stressing his title as he slowly reached inside his robes for a piece of paper. "have broken the law."

Larsa furrowed his brow and groaned as he felt a sharp pain in his back as they pressed him further into the ground, preventing any movement what so ever as he struggled against their hold. "What law?"

Rossi smirked down at him and unfolded the paper and began to read. "If any man, woman or child, whether he be pheasant or King, accuses the Senate of any form of wrong doing he is to be arrested and stripped of all power and status. This crime is punishable by death."

Larsa eyes widened and he struggled even more, feeling the bruises all over his body developing faster as they pressed him hard onto the cold, blood stained alter. "There is no such law! What rubbish is this you spit at me Rossi?" Larsa shouted, his voice cracking under the pressure as the wind was squeezed out of his lungs.

"Oh this is not rubbish my dear King, this law was instated only yesterday and is now being put into effect. And since you are no longer King, according to the law..." Rossi said with a malicious grin spread across his face, "That means that I am forced to take up the mantle," Rossi said as he picked up Larsa's fallen crown and placed it gingerly on his head, "and be King in your stead! I am now ruler of all Archadia and of all Ivalice!"

"We need to go...now!" Balthier said urgently to Ashe and Fran as he noticed an Archadian soldier speaking with one of the Senate members as Rossi began laughing his head of like the power drunk crazy bastard that he was. Soon after a hoard of soldiers began to close in on them, no doubt Rossi didn't want any witnesses that could possibly compromise him later on.

Balthier, grabbed Fran and Ashe and used a teleport stone Kira had given him which enhanced the power of the magic to teleport them to any teleport crystal from anywhere in Ivalice, teleport crystal or not.

"Mi Lord they got away!" One of the solider shouted through the haze of myst left over from the powerful magic.

"Oh no need to worry. I'll deal with them later. As for you, former King..." Rossi said maliciously as he lifted Larsa's face to look up at him with his foot, which Larsa shook off while glaring daggers at Rossi. Rossi grimaced and turned to his commanding officer and said, "Take them to the dungeons."

Larsa felt as he had never felt before. Larsa struggled against his handlers as they dragged him away from the alter, away from Rossi as he stood there, basking in what he must've called glory, but only resembled cowardice and dishonesty to Larsa. Larsa wanted nothing more than to just scream. Everything had gone wrong, nothing was right in the world any more.

Larsa wanted nothing more than to just scream, and so, scream he did. It was a guttural and savage sound full of rage, vengeance and sorrow that ripped through the air and echoed off the walls of the chapel, startling the few occupants left. How...how could he have let this happen?

OoOoO

To be Continued...


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 20**_

_She's gone..._

_dead..._

_murdered, by my own people, by my hand..._

_ No! That's not the truth...it was the Senate, it was Rossi that murdered Catherine. That man and his loyal dogs have stolen everything from me. From my home and my title, to the people that I love..._

_Oh Catherine...forgive me...forgive me please... I am completely powerless... what am I to do?_

Basch watched, completely unsettled and at a loss for what to do as Larsa stood in a dark corner of their cell, his smart, richly jewelled white suit soiled by dirt and rust, and spattered with blood, Catherine's blood no doubt. He looked lost and completely helpless, dried tears staining his face as his deep Persian blue eyes stared lifelessly into nothing.

Basch could always tell when Larsa was thinking hard about something, he would get this far away look in his eye and he'd suck in his bottom lip, sometimes he'd fold his arms too; but right now, Larsa was doing neither and yet, Basch felt that Larsa was probably tossing everything that had happened so far in his head, trying to find a solution. Or at least, Basch hoped he was.

Catherine's death was a shock to him as well. He was not expecting the Senate to go that far. He would've never guessed they would do something so blatantly unlawful as murder...again. It could very well evoke anarchy, especially among the Rossarians. No doubt King Theodor of Rossaria is beyond grief and _far _beyond outrage. Treaty or no, the murder of the Princess of Rossaria on Archadian soil could very well mean war. Or perhaps...perhaps that's exactly what the Senate wants.

Basch was about to share his thoughts with Larsa when Larsa suddenly coughed slightly and spoke through dry lips, "We have to get out of here Basch..." Basch stood from his sitting position against the wall of the dank cell as he watched Larsa push himself away from the damp walls weakly. "Someone has to stop Rossi. For all we know he could be trying to start another war."

Basch smirked, he was indeed thinking over there in that dark corner. "My sentiments exactly," Basch said with a grim smile. "Any ideas on how to get out of here?" Basch asked Larsa as he stood up straight and looked around the cell they'd been thrown roughly into only an hour or so ago. The cell was dark and damp, the very last cell on the bottom floor of the dungeon at least a half a mile underground. There were no windows obviously and only the vertical iron bars stood between them and the dark, damp corridor carved out of the ground ages ago, long before the first King Solidor took the throne.

Larsa walked over to the iron bars and tested them by shaking them viciously, and rapping his knuckles over them only to succeed in shaking himself viciously and bruising his knuckles. The bars were sturdy, despite the thick layer of flaking rust coating them, and they had talismans posted to each side of the cell to keep them from casting any spells and their entire inventory was confiscated prior to their imprisonment. Larsa groaned slightly as he turned his depressingly limited options over in his head.

"There's no way we can get out of here on our own. We're going to need help..." Larsa said after a long few minutes of silent thinking.

"Where is Kairos, Larsa?" Basch said suddenly as he began to rummage through his armour for any random bits of paper or torn bits of fabric on which they could write.

Larsa turned to Basch and thought about it. "It would be hard...There's no way Kairos could fly all the way here without being noticed by the guards and most of the guards in the castle know Kairos, and they aren't particularly fond of him either, they'd sooner shoot him down than let him fly over there heads." Larsa said dismally. Basch sighed and stopped searching, Larsa was right. Many of guards had been injured at least once by Larsa's very mal tempered hawk.

"It sounds like your in a bit of a sticky situation here." both Larsa and Basch jumped and peered through the bars in search of the source and found nothing.

"Who's there?" Basch called in a demanding voice.

"Basch Von Ronsenburg, it's been a long time wouldn't you agree?"

Larsa glanced up at Basch with a questioning glare only to find him smirking before he said, "Of course, how could I forget that lilting, condescending tone of yours Balthier?"

"Balthier?" Larsa exclaimed, looking around almost desperately for the notorious Sky Pirate.

Both Larsa and Basch took a sudden step back as they watched Balthier and Fran suddenly materialise before their very eyes. "How did you do that?" Larsa asked first.

"Oh just a useful little spell Kira taught us before we..."

"You've seen Kira?" Larsa nearly shouted, grabbing the iron bars and wishing he had the strength to just rip them out of the wall.

"Ssshhh!" Balthier shushed Larsa harshly and glanced behind him to the end of the corridor were two guards stood with their back to them. "Listen, everything will be explained in due time but first we have to get you out of here. Unfortunately, we don't have the ability to cast the invisibility on others and only Kira can teach it to you so we'll have to find another way."

Basch nodded and came closer to the bars and whispered, "Well aside from that, what's going on outside, we can't hear or see anything and the guards aren't likely to fill us in."

Balthier huffed slightly and folded his arms. "It's nasty out there. King Theodore's throwing a tantrum, nearly officially declared war before Lady Ashe managed to convince him other wise, reminding him that they'd only just signed the Treaty. Then, soon after, Rossi shows up, gives a bullshit speech about loyalty and honour, claiming that Judge Magister Basch was the the one to kill Catherine and that their very own King was an accomplice. Quite obviously not many people believed this, just a few Archadia hating Rossarians, but no one got the chance to say nay before Rossi suddenly declared himself King in your stead. There was a brief up roar among the Archadians that was quickly quelled by Rossi's personal soldiers, but with the entire Senate backing him, there really wasn't much the people could do except bow to him. On the way here we whitnessed the beginnings of many rebellious groups and the end of them as well. If something isn't done then surely civil war will break out. Rossi fully underestimated the peoples love for their true King." Balthier gave Larsa a fleeting smile then grimaced and continued, "Especially after he announced your execution date."

"Execution?" Larsa gasped, then shock his head and mumbled, "Why am I not surprised."

"When is it?" Basch asked, his voice unwavering.

"Tomorrow at dawn." Balthier said quite bluntly. "that's just a few hours from now."

Basch looked like he was about to make a comment when Fran interrupted, glancing over her shoulder as she spoke. "We cannot stay much longer, the Lady Ashe awaits our return. There is much that you do not know, much that Kira has to tell you, but that will have to wait."

"indeed, we will inform the Lady Ashe of the latest developments and send Kira to your rescue, likely she is the only one of us capable with such limited time and option." Balthier said while folding his arms.

"Developments? What's going on? What does Kira know?" Larsa asked, shocked to hear that even in hiding, Kira seemed to know more about what is going on than he did.

"Patience young King, the time will come. Come Balthier." Fran said urgently as the guards began their hourly patrol of the corridor. Larsa watched as Balthier and Fran disappeared from sight only to be replaced by completely oblivious soldiers moments later.

"I see. So not only is the Senate after Larsa's power and title, which they now have, but they are also after the Sun Cryst?" Ashe mused as they finally reached the teleport crystal in the city of Archades.

"Precisely, and Kira has inherited the duty to protect it and ensure that it does not end up in the wrong hands." Balthier said as he touched the huge crystal and teleported them to Kira.

Ashe gasped slightly as they arrived in the huge and beautifully decorated room that once housed the Sun Cryst. As she observed her surroundings, she noted the excessive amount of myst floating around the room and made to ask Fran if it did not bother her when a familiar voice interrupted her.

"So you've returned? How did it go?" Ashe turned around to find Kira sitting cross-legged in mid-air, a small crystal floating in front of her chest. The sight startled her slightly and she watched, amazed as she unfolded her legs and stood up with as much grace as a swan, the crystal falling back to her lay on her chest supported by a thin silver chain.

"Terribly, as we predicted." Balthier said stepping forward, not surprised at all by her new found abilities.

"What happened?" Kira asked, looking worried.

"Well, after they signed the Treaty and Larsa was made king, they murdered Catherine, Princess of Rossaria during the wedding ceremony and of course, chaos ensued,"

"They murdered Catherine?" Kira exclaimed loudly, her voice cracking at the thought of the once bubbly, slightly crazed Princess that she'd grown to be rather fond of despite the many complications she'd caused for her and Larsa.

Balthier nodded grimly and continued, "They accused Basch as her murderer and arrested Larsa with him as his accomplice."

"After that Rossi announced his rule over the Galtean Alliance in Larsa's stead and also, Larsa and Basch's execution." Ashe said as she folded her arms, her expression displaying her disgust.

"Execution!" Kira scoffed as she folded her arms and stared at them incredulously. The insanity of the Senate knows no bounds did it?

"Of course that won't sit well with the Archadians, not to mention King Theodor, Catherine's Father, very nearly officially declared war. Although, I wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what Rossi wants." Balthier said, his tone laced with the same disgust Ashe showed earlier.

"Balthier and I could not free them whilst we spoke to them in their cell. They are very heavily guarded." Fran said.

"Likely the only chance we'll have is as they are waking up to the gallows. Rossi will want to display it to the whole city so security won't be as tight. The only trouble would be the number of witnesses." Ashe said as she rubbed her chin in thought.

"No, that won't be any trouble at all." Kira said, nodding to herself as she felt the fibres of her plan already stitching themselves together. "Where will they be executed?" Kira asked.

"Most likely in the town square, so that everyone can see the murder of an innocent." Ashe answered with a snarl.

Kira nodded slightly to herself. She'd been there before on numerous occasions. It would be easy to teleport there without being noticed, especially with the help of the Cryst. The only trouble would be teleporting herself, Larsa and Basch at the same time back to this place. Kira smiled however and thought, _No, I'm sure that if I focus, and with the Cryst, I'll be able to do it._

"So do you have a plan?" Balthier asked as they watched her stand there, thinking, one hand on her hip, the other at her mouth as she absently chewed on a chipped nail.

Kira looked up at him and smirked, "Of course I do."

The next morning dawned. The sun seemed an angry fiery red as it slowly crawled over the edge of the horizon; almost as if it were in anticipation of vengeance for the blood slipped the previous night. Kira did not sleep that night. She'd spent the hours meditating with the Cryst. Searching its endless encyclopedia of knowledge for ways to enhance her teleportation skills and to further attune herself to the ways of the stone so that she may better work with it.

As the Cryst announced to Kira that a new day had begun, she slowly rose to her feet, stretching her aching muscles and glanced around her. Balthier and Fran had stayed and slept in a corner where she'd made two makeshift beds for them out of the remains of the stand on which the Cryst once stood before Sulendii shrank it for her. Ashe had returned to Archadia where she was staying in a high class hotel, intending on attending Basch's and Larsa's 'execution' in the morning. She said she would rather stay here, where she was positive no assassin from the Senate could reach her in case they still had more up their sleeve, but it would be seen as suspicious. The Lady Ashe was already known for her rebellious tendencies, so her absence might've tipped off the Senate.

Kira gently woke the two and told them to take the Ridorana teleport crystal to Archades. "I'll go on ahead and scout the area." she said before she disappeared in a puff of myst.

Kira appeared on the edge of the town square. The large crowd in the square hardly even noticed her appearance, they were too preoccupied with the ass currently making a bogus speech on a huge platform in he middle of the square. Kira opted for tuning Rossi out as he spoke to the people and instead searched the platform for Larsa and Basch. She caught sight of them a ways behind Rossi. Their hands were bound and their feet were chained. She could tell they'd been kept somewhere over night considering Larsa and Basch were still in formal attire and were covered in a thin layer of dirt and grime. Kira forced herself to calm down as she felt a familiar heat in the pit of her stomach growing violent at the sight of Larsa and Basch bound and chained like that.

Something Rossi had said stirred the crowd and they were now angrily jeering at him, throwing vegetables and fruit unto the platform as he quickly retreated. At that moment Kira knew she had to get moving. She watched as Larsa and Basch were lead to the middle of the platform were too nooses hung sweet and low for them.

Kira steadily prepared herself, myst gathering around her as she move toward the platform, her speed increasing all the while. She watched as they draped the nooses over their heads and she noticed Larsa searching the crowd with his eyes. Their eyes met briefly before Kira was forced to duck under a man's arm to get through to the platform.

"And so, an era ends, and a new one begins!" Rossi shouted over the roar of the angry crowd, his face split in two, his grin spreading from ear to ear. Rossi walked over to Larsa and said to him, "Goodnight, my King. Don't expect to see me in the after life any time soo...what the hell are you smiling about?" Rossi said harshly as he stared down into Larsa's grinning face.

"oh, nothing..." Larsa replied coolly. Rossi bristled and stepped away from him.

"Hang them!" He shouted, but just as the executioner pulled the lever, a form with blazing red hair vaulted unto the platform and crashed into Basch and Larsa and in a swirl of myst, a bright flash of light and the tell tale booming sound of teleportation magic, they were gone, their nooses empty.

Larsa had barely regained his balanced when he felt the bonds holding his hands and feet magically dissolve away and a figure wrap its arms tightly around him. He grinned widely and hugged her back as tightly as he could, as if even loosening his grip a little would mean losing her again.

Balthier smirked as he helped Basch out of his restraints and said, "Boy sure does move fast; gets married, becomes a widow, now he's already got a new girl. And I thought I was bad."

Basch thumped him on the arm and said with the same smirk on his face, "Oh she's not new, they've been like this forever." They both chuckled as they grabbed each others arms and embraced briefly exchanging warm greetings.

"Basch," Basch turned toward the voice and smiled as Fran bowed slightly to him. "I am glad to see that the two of you have not been greatly harmed."

"Indeed, I am surprised however that you returned so quickly, we hardly had time to awake and become descent before you materialized before us." Balthier said turning to Kira as she finally untangled herself from Larsa's embrace.

"Yes well, Rossi got a bit excited and seemed to want to end it quick so I had to move fast." Kira said with a smile as she brought Larsa over to them.

"Enough about that, what is it that you know that I don't? Kira, what the hell is going on?" Larsa demanded. Kira looked over at him and sighed.

She waved her hand and five pristine white chair immerged from the floor, then she said, "We'd better sit down."

OoOoO

To be Continued…

Ok, i know, i know, i've been gone for what feels like years but i only just got back my laptop hard drive with al my stuff on it so i can continue writing now, but there's a catch (as always) i am currently in the middle of the most important exams of my life so hopefully by summer you'll have chapters coming in steady enough, and i'm thinking about doing some revisiting to the older chapters so look out for that too, but not for now. My last exam is early june so hopefully by then i'll have something for u or a little after. this story is the first thing onmy agenda for the summer so =] don't plan to raid my house just yet lol.

Love you guys, i know this one was short but review and i'll try to write a bit faster =]


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize I don't own, everything else is MINE! =]

OoOoO

"We know what the Senate is after…aside from your throne obviously." Kira said off handedly to Larsa.

"There's more that they want? What more is there to be had? They essentially own all of Ivalice!" Larsa exclaimed incredulously.

"They may own the land, but not her people." Fran said as she delicately crossed her arms.

"And there are only two ways to gain such favour. Tell me young King, which to you seems more effective? Love, or fear?" Balthier said as he picked lint off his pristine cuffs.

Larsa's brow creased slightly as he listened to them, fearing where this was headed. "Precisely, and as you may have guessed, Rossi plans to use fear."

Both Basch and Larsa looked at Kira with quizzical looks and Basch said, "How?"

"By using this." Kira said as she held up the cryst, dangling from its thin silver chain around her neck that Larsa hadn't even noticed before. Larsa and Basch leaned forward slightly to get a better look at the large crystal and observed it's ornate patterns and carvings; they could even feel the rare power emitting from it in the form of heat waves. "This is the Sun Cryst." Kira said slowly.

It took a moment for her words to sink in, but when they did, Basch stepped back and gazed at Kira incredulously. "Impossible, I aided in the very destruction of it!"

Kira sighed slightly and said, "I know, what you destroyed was only a carbon copy of the Cryst, an imitation." Upon seeing their profoundly confused expressions, Kira sighed and said, "I'll start from the beginning then."

OoOoO

"And so, as the last living Druid, I have been appointed as protector of the Cryst essentially." Kira said as she sat with her legs crossed on one of the chairs. "I am still learning many things from the Cryst. I've also discovered inscriptions on the walls. Some are legible while others aren't but you can have a look if you like." Kira said waving towards a door that lead out into a great hall where the walls were covered in murals and inscriptions.

Ashe, who had arrived half way through Kira's story telling, got up to go and inspect the inscriptions in order to try and understand more about these Druids, she was soon followed by Balthier and Fran as Larsa stood, began to pace and pinched the bridge of his nose before beginning. "So, in short, the reason why the Senate has been searching for you so adamantly is because they believed that you had in your possession, the Sun Cryst…the true Sun Cryst." Larsa looked at Kira questioningly.

Kira nodded.

"But it wasn't until Old Dalan gave you that key and it lead you here, did you actually acquire the Cryst?"

Kira nodded again.

"And now you are hiding it from them." Larsa said as he stopped pacing and folded his arms.

"Yes." Kira said simply.

"And this Treaty you speak of, the original Galtean Alliance. If what you say is true, then you should be leader of the Alliance rather than I."

Kira chuckled but nodded and said, "Fancy that eh?"

"My question is, how is it that the Archadian Senate seems to know all of this, given that they are hunting you down for the Cryst, and why is it that this is only the first time we are hearing of the Druids? If they truly were of such high calibre, then all in Ivalice should know of them. How is it possible to cover up such history?" Basch questioned as he leaned forward in his chair.

"Those are all questions I would like the answers to myself." Kira said with a scoff.

"And those answers are not likely to find themselves before you any time soon if you only plan to sit around and converse about it." Balthier said as the three re-entered the room.

"He is right." Ashe said as she walked pass Balthier toward Larsa and Kira. "I tried to analyse the inscriptions to learn more about the Druids and hopefully find some form of clue as to how and why it is that there is no trace of them in our known history, but most of the inscriptions are either in tongues I am unfamiliar with or are illegible all together. But even without that knowledge, something must still be done about Rossi."

"The inscriptions on the walls are older than even the earliest of Vieran tribes and the language is unfamiliar to me, however, it is not what occurred in the past that we must focus on. We should focus on what we can change; the present, and the future." Fran said as she stepped forward.

"Women after my own heart." Balthier said with a wry smile as he collapsed into his chair and crossed his legs. "We need to make a move before Rossi finds us. No doubt he'll use the excuse of hunting down fugitives to search for Kira and the Cryst."

"Yes, and he is likely aware that we would travel as a party, so as consequence it wouldn't be an excuse but the truth." Basch said. "Lord Larsa, where do you propose we go from here?"

Larsa bit his lip subconsciously as he stared hard at the wall in front of him in deep thought. "I think that Kira is our best hope. According to the original Treaty, only a Druid may hold power over the Alliance and not only that but, she would make a good leader given that she is already on good terms with most of the cities and major countries in Ivalice, earning the people's favour wouldn't be an issue…"

"But earning the respect of the world's leaders would be. Men such as King Theodor and Marquis Undore will not likely heed to words of a young girl talking to a crystal she claims to be the Sun Cryst that everyone believes was destroy four years prior. You will need solid, irrevocable proof of your lineage before you can make a move against the senate."

Kira stared wide-eyed at everyone around her and was about to protest when Balthier said, "So I take it we'll be fighting this battle with parchment and ink?"

"As much as possible yes." Ashe replied.

"I highly doubt we'll be able to achieve that quota, the Senate has not been known for delicacy." Basch said.

"Indeed. Rossi would sooner tear through all of Ivalice with a bulldozer to find us and forcefully extract the Cryst from our possession." Larsa commented with a sneer.

"Wait! Wait a minute! Who said anything about me ruling the Alliance? You expect me to be able to rule the world are you crazy?" Kira said jumping suddenly, not liking the way everyone was talking around her like she didn't exist.

Larsa chuckled and smiled at Kira before saying, "Kira, you are more capable than you give yourself credit for, besides, look at the company you keep! You'll be fine." Kira gave Larsa a sceptical look but smiled all the same as the rest of the group members smiled and nodded back to her.

At that precise moment, the Cryst informed Kira of the presence of another life form in the castle and she smiled as she made a window in the wall and watched Kairos swoop in, screeching at the top of his lungs as he dove straight for his master.

"Kairos!" Larsa exclaimed as he stretched his arm out as a perch for his precious hawk. The bird screamed joyously into the hair and pecked painfully yet affectionately at Larsa's wrist. "Ah! Kairos, yes I'm happy to see you as well but your making ribbons out of my wrist!" Kairos screeched indignantly as Larsa quite literally threw him off his arm, rubbing his sore wrists.

"You and that bloody bird. I've heard all manner of horror stories about that bird. Are you certain it's safe?" Balthier commented as he watched the bird circle the ceiling in the corner of his eye.

Larsa chuckled and said, "He's safe, and he has impeccable timing I was only just thinking that I should write a letter to Vaan and Penelo, at least to let them know that we're unharmed. Only God he knows what sort of news may have reached their ears by now."

"That's a good idea. With all that's happened I doubt I would be able to stop by on my return to Dalmasca to fill them in." Ashe said as she began approaching the teleport crystal Kira created.

"You're leaving so soon?" Kira asked as she rushed over to her after conjuring parchment, ink and a quill for Larsa to write with.

"Yes, I am needed in Dalmasca and King Theodor and Marquis Undore have made clear that we need to share words, they had also requested that I bring along Balthier, but I already told them it would be fruitless." Ashe said giving Balthier a sideways glance that he couldn't quite read.

"As accurate as you are M' Lady, I am rather offended that you hadn't asked me anyway." Balthier retorted without getting up from his seat. Everyone knew that there was no way he was going to leave to partake in some boring war meeting with nothing but old men talking about their military prowess.

"My apologies." Ashe said tonelessly before she and Kira embraced briefly. "You'll be sure to see me again soon." Ashe said as she nodded goodbye to everyone before touching the crystal, selecting her destination and teleporting away.

"So our next move should be to go in search of proper evidence of Kira's lineage while staying out of sight of the Senate. But where do we even start?" Balthier said sitting up straight as Basch sat across from him and Fran stood beside him.

"How are to even be sure that a copy of that original treaty still exists? And if it does where would we find it?" Basch mused aloud.

"We should ask Kira," Balthier was about to shout for her, not seeing her in his immediate field of view when Fran stopped him with a light touch on his shoulder.

"We should leave them be. They are yet young and have been through much. They are in need of rest, and each other." Fran said delicately as she made gesture toward Larsa and Kira who had migrated to a darker corner of the room where Kira had created a small pond of drinking water during the days previous.

"Larsa, just what happened yesterday?" Kira said slowly, fearing he might not want to talk about it.

Larsa looked at her however and smiled sadly before he sat down cross-legged before the pond and gestured for her to sit beside him. Kira sat down beside him and despite the situation she couldn't help the feeling of her heart soaring as she watched him. How could she ever deny these feelings?

Kira felt her heart harden slightly, however, when Larsa turned to her and she saw the anguish deep within his eyes. "I suppose I should've seen it coming." He began. The one sentence brought tears to her eyes. "The day had been going too smoothly before the Wedding Ceremony. In the morning, I had my coronation, which went by without a hitch, then the Treaty was signed by all the leaders of Ivalice. That also occurred without incidence. I don't know how I could've been so foolish," he turned his face away from her, "…as to believe that," his shoulders began to shake, "…all had gone well and that I had won over the Senate. I should've taken greater care. I could've saved her. If only I were more…"

"No! No Larsa, don't say that!" Kira cut him off aggressively. "Look at me. Look at me Larsa!" Kira turned his face to meet hers and she felt her own tears fall at the sight of his. She instantly wrapped her arms around him, cradling him like a mother would her child. "None of what's happened is your fault do you hear? If anyone is to blame it is Rossi and no one else! Catherine wouldn't want you to blame yourself for what has happened and you know that. She loved you, don't soil the memory of her with feelings of regret and shame. She'd have wanted you to remember her as she was alive, not dead." Kira said softly as she cradled him.

Larsa hardly had the strength to protest anymore. She'd managed to strip him of all his defences, as she always could, and turn him into the weeping child he longed to be at the moment. Kira sat there with Larsa half lying in her lap as he cried silently into her bosom, his face buried in the soft tissue of her chest. She only knew he was still crying by the hot wetness that pooled in her cleavage. Kira sniffed softly as she too mourned the loss of a woman she had been ready to call an ally and great friend had she been given the chance, despite their…differences.

Kira could just make out the top of Larsa's head through her lens of tears as she watched him. He seemed to shrink with every passing minute and she could only imagine the sort of thoughts playing in his mind. Likely his silence was due to his reluctance on sharing his mind lest she chastise him for it. Kira frowned, not liking the way he was shutting himself off from the world and decided that a suitable distraction would probably be best for him. As much as she respected that he needed time, just as she had, to at least become accustom to the absence, she was also aware that a lot was going on outside these walls, and they needed to make a move, they needed to get to work on stopping Rossi before anyone else had to suffer what they had suffered through.

There was a lullaby that Kira occasionally sang for the children, particularly Tihanna, that Kira had once explained to Larsa she had no idea where it was from or what the words mention. She only knew that it was her mother that taught her the song, and even this was only something Old Dalan told her after he'd heard her sing it to the children. Upon hearing said lullaby Larsa opened his eyes slightly and glanced up through the wetness to find her eyes closed and her hands resting on his head as she sang softly for him.

He smiled a small smile that faded instantly, just barely breaking the monotony of the nature of his thoughts. However, as the song progressed, finished and started again, he found himself drifting into a dreamless sleep that he was sure was half induced by Kira's use of magic.

Kira could only smirk as Larsa mumbled something just barely coherent before he finally lost consciousness. "That's cheating…" he'd said. Kira sighed heavily and bent to lightly kiss his forehead before gently laying him down on the ground and rising from her position on the floor.

OoOoO

Only half the day passed before Kairos returned with a reply from Vaan and Penelo. By then Larsa had awoken seemingly refreshed and had joined the discussion on how they should proceed after Kira returned with lunch that is. The discussion, however, did not get very far in the time between Kairos' departure and return.

Larsa broke away from the group with an exasperated sigh, glad for something to break the monotony of saying the same things over and over again. "We need to find the original Treaty." "But where could it be?" how do we know it even still exists?" "How can we be sure it ever did?" that last one of course was quickly shot down by Kira.

Kairos nipped painfully at Larsa's fingers and wrist again as he tried to untie the letter from the birds foot and immediately found something wrong with the image. The knot was tightly fastened, as if they were in a hurry and the parchment crumpled.

"Is it from Vaan and Penelo?" Kira asked as she came up behind him and took the obnoxious bird off his hands to allow him to read the letter.

The writing too was a scrawl, even though it was definitely Vaan's hand, it seemed odd. Sure they were probably desperate for answers, but so much so that they would nearly rip the parchment with a quill in the quest to acquire it?

Larsa ignored it however and read the letter aloud. "We're so glad you're all alright! We were seriously starting to worry about Kira and after all we'd heard about what's going on in Archadia we were really worried about you too Larsa. Listen no need to worry about us though; we're fine on our end. Hoping you're well…Vaan and Penelo…" there was silence for a moment before Larsa crushed the paper in his fist and said, "Vaan, would never, reveal my name in a letter like that. We had promised that my alias would always be Lamont, even through letters. Something's not right…"

"You can say that again…" Kira said absently. The others looked over at her and were surprised to find that her eyes had glazed over with myst, much like when she had lost control after discovering the murder of her father. Basch was instantly alarmed but was relieved when she blinked and her eyes returned to normal. "There are enemy ships approaching, most likely Archadian. They must've captured Vaan and Penelo in hopes of finding us. Balthier?"

"What am I your courier service?" Balthier retorted as they made haste to gather what little inventory they carried and raced out of the hall towards the staircase immerged in myst.

Everyone gave at least a small smile and then a hearty chuckle as Fran said, "See, you truly are more suited to a supporting role."

"Fran please," Balthier moaned as they hopped up the stairs two by two.

"How much time before they reach us?" Basch asked as he took up the rare guard.

"Not long before they come into view of the island. We should be able to reach the Strahl and board before they notice we've noticed that they're here."

Kairos gave an indignant screech then and flew off ahead of them. "And how are we to avoid them once we've boarded the Strahl? I prefer my airship whole rather than in pieces and skewered thank you very much." Balthier said as they found their way into the small cave like dome of rock by the entrance to the castle.

There was a grinding of rock against stone as the door closed itself and Kira said, "Don't worry about that." Her eyes suddenly flashed white mystiness again and this time Larsa noted that the Cryst as well seemed to shift its patterns temporarily. "Shit they're closer than I thought. Fran, lead us to the nearest way stone in the subterra of the pharos!"

Fran hardly questioned her and simply began to run in the direction of the subterra that she and Balthier had fought through to arrive at this cave the first time. "The Pharos? Kira have you lost your sense? The Strahl is on the other side of the island!" Balthier quipped as they ran.

"I know that, but I'm not that strong enough yet, I'll need help from some magical instrument." Hardly anyone had time to question her any further as they were suddenly overwhelmed by a surprise attack from the foul creatures of the deep subterranean levels of the Pharos.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous, we'll never escape through this way!" Larsa exclaimed as he finally managed to chop down an undead only to be faced with three more of the same.

"I don't understand. The monsters here weren't this strong or plentiful when we first passed through here." Fran exclaimed as she quickly healed herself after taking massive damage from the foul breath of some creature she could hardly even make out form the rest of them.

"You're right this is ridiculous…" Kira muttered and suddenly a down pour of oil showered over their group with a good two metre radius and while the oil never landed on any of the party members, it covered every single one of the enemies and before anyone could blink, Kira let loose an inferno the likes of which they'd never seen before.

Within a matter of seconds every monster within sight had crumpled to ashes. "come on let's get going…" Kira said, but the strength of her voice contradicted with her body as it teetered dangerously while she tried to move forward. Larsa caught her by the shoulders and draped her arm over his shoulders.

"Don't push yourself so hard! There's a limit to the things you can do dammit!" He chastised and she smiled warmly before apologizing.

The party moved on until they found the nearest Way stone, miraculously not happening upon any other enemies along the way. Kira detached herself from Larsa with a little difficulty due his resistance and approached the way stone. "Kira…" Larsa began but she shushed him and gestured for everyone to gather around the way stone upon which she laid her hands and took a deep breathe.

The stone seemed to breath with her as it glowed with the power of its magic and a warm buzz hummed through them that seemed to emanate from the stone. It was hardly a moment's wait before they experienced the familiar sensation of being rapidly squeezed like an orange and found themselves standing by the teleport stone directly in front of the Strahl.

"I wasn't aware you could teleport from a way stone to a gate crystal…" Fran said in awe as they began making their way to the Strahl.

"Neither did I." Kira said with a smirk as Larsa guided her up into the Strahl after Balthier called her down and opened the hatch.

They walked passed Nono as he stood by the ship door bowing and kupoing to them all. "Nono, ready the engines for flight I want quarter power to the rare boosters and full power to the wings. We need as close to silence as possible. Now Kira, please tell me you have a plan to keep us out of sight of these ravenous dogs. I don't much feel in the mood for a tango with hot lead." Balthier said as he made his way to the bridge and looked out the windshield to just see an entire fleet of Archadian ships crossing the horizon.

Kira didn't reply but stepped away from Larsa and pressed her hand against the wall of the ship and everyone felt a slight shiver run through the ship. Balthier glanced back at her, then back at the controls and noticed that the little icon that represented their position on the radar and map was gone. "brilliant, if even we can't detect ourselves surely neither can they…" Balthier said half sarcastically.

Kira smirked slightly and retorted, "Just shut up and fly this thing!"

Larsa watched Kira warily and only sat down and buckled himself in when she assured him that she would be alright. There was hardly a moment's wait before the ship rumbled into life and took off slowly but quietly.

"Kira, where should we, ugh!" Balthier had been rudely interrupted by the Strahl as she jerked suddenly, shifting everything inside her. She stilled for a moment before suddenly the Strahl begin to sway and bob up and down in the air. "Fran! What's going on?" Balthier shouted as he tried everything to get the airship back under control.

"I don't know! I think she is reacting to…"

"It's the Cryst! The Strahl's magicite is reacting to the Cryst!" Kira said as she felt the Cryst burn against her skin. "I don't know how to stop it!"

"We have to make an emergency landing!" Basch said over the clammer.

"Look, we're over the Paramina Rift, if we aim for the snow it should be a soft enough landing." Larsa said pointing out the windshield as he leaned in between Balthier and Fran.

It was true, in all the chaos, the Strahl had somehow drifted far enough south to just clear the sea. "Well if you're gonna land this thing then do it! I can't keep the cloaking up for much longer!" Kira demanded with a snarl as her nails scratched paint of the inner wall of the ship.

"Alright! Hold onto something!" Balthier cringed as he tried to guide his ship as delicately as possible to the ground knowing that she would definitely suffer extensive damage and would no doubt leave quite the dent in his pocket to repair.

There was a unanimous yelp through out the ship's interior as they Strahl touched land rather rashly and roughly skidded to a lopsided stop somewhere in the middle of the Paramina Rift.

There was silence in the airship for a moment. Balthier lifted his head off the control board where it had landed rather harshly during the landing 'process' and was about to make a comment when the lights in the roof suddenly flickered and died.

Balthier opened his mouth and closed it again before he just closed his eyes, dropped his head back on the control board and sighed. "uhm, Balthier…" Kira started but he raised his hand.

"Don't. Fran, open the roof hatch and let everyone out, I'll stay with Nono and assess the damage." Fran climbed out of her seat which had somehow been turned on it's side in the crash and lead everyone to the roof hatch.

"Will he be alright?" Larsa asked.

Fran glanced back at him and said, "He is only being childish. He is only truly worried about the weight his pocket's about to lose."

"I'm sorry, I should've known the Strahl's Magicite would react to the Cryst…" Kira began as Fran helped her out of the hatch.

"Do not worry. We are alive and they do not follow," Fran said as she looked north and found no Archadian airships breeching the horizon. "that is what really matters, and it's thanks to you."

OoOoO

To be continued…

Hey, hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Hopefully I'll be able to keep the updates coming like this cause things are gonna get pretty heated form here on ^^

Well see yah next time =D Don't forget to REVIEW! Plz n thank you.


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